2018 Marucci CAT 7 Review

Comparable Bats

Does anything really compare to the CAT 7? A big barrel in a single piece aluminum is hard to come by. And the added unique know with its sting dampening skills makes it hard to find an equal. The CAT 7 also prices out above most single piece aluminum bats anyways.

If you we had to shoot for something in a similar class then take a closer look at the Omaha 518 from Slugger. Both bats have stiff feels, decent sized barrels and come in a number of sizes. Or, maybe, the 2017 VELO from Rawlings. That Velo will swing lighter than the Cat 7, but its worth a shot if you’d like something with a lower price point.

Looking at the Posey Metal 28 is cheating. That bat, in BBCOR at least, is the same as the CAT 7 with a different paint job.

Previous Models

In terms of construction there is no difference in the 2017 CAT 7 vs the 2018 CAT 7. They did add the drop 10 version as well as some limited edition version (as we mention above).

Marucci makes no bones about it being the same bat. As a site that reviews bats we can appreciate this approach as many companies are often guilty of changing the paint job and calling it something else. Not with Marucci; the 2017 CAT 7 is the 2018 CAT 7.

Marucci uses this two year cycle on all of their performance baseball bats.

Construction

• Single Piece Aluminum: Single piece aluminum bats are, just that, single pieces of aluminum bats. They are made of one single piece of an aluminum alloy from knob to end cap.
• Barrel Size: The Barrel on the CAT 7 is 50% longer than the barrel on the CAT 6 due to a change in the taper of the inner barrel. Simply, the insides of the barrel are thinned out to 7 different levels that help increase the length of the barrel without messing with the swing weight. The 7 thickness levels of the inner barrel are a coincidence in the name CAT 7 (which refers to hurricanes).
• Knob: Inside the knob of the CAT 7 sits a small rubber piece. This piece is designed to lessen the vibration of the bat on mishits. Marucci has some studies that prove this is true. Our experience proves to us that it is also true. The bat fees better on mishits than other single piece aluminum bats.

Mareting Writeup

If we’re being frank, we think the drop 10 loses too much weight to keep the same smooth feel as the drop 8 and drop 10. The loss of the extra mass really removes a lot of the confidence players have in the drop 8 and drop 5. However, those with slower swing speed that saw slower pitch speeds still really liked the drop 10. But, once pitch and swing speeds got faster the CAT 7 Drop 10 lost its appeal. We would suggest most serious players stay with the light swinging drop 8 if they can swing it.