2019 Louisville Slugger 919 Prime Review

September 18, 2020 | by Bat Digest Review Team | @BatDigest

After hitting with the 919 Prime from Slugger in four games and several hundred hits in the cage, among a few different players, this is our 2019 Louisville Slugger 919 Prime Review. Generally, the bat feels much like it did last year.

2019 Louisville Slugger 919 Prime

The two-piece composite with a smooth connection makes for a great feel on hits and mishits. We’d recommend it for hitters who want a bat with a balanced to light swing weight, a great feel on hits and mishits, as well as a smooth connection.

Jump to the full review.

Amazon Price

Louisville Slugger Price

Last Updated: September 18, 2020

Got Bat Questions?

Have a question about this bat? Ask away and we’ll get you an answer.

Quick Review

Survey Results

We surveyed over 2,000 players on their 2019 bat usage. We asked what bat they used, how they liked it and what bat they think is the best. We parsed that data into each individual bat and report those on our review pages. As well, we aggregated data on the bat brands overall ranking.

BBCOR (59 Responses)

See all BBCOR Rankings

919 Prime BBCOR owners satisfaction:

83%

Owners of the 919 Prime BBCOR who believe they have the best bat:

41%

Where do BBCOR Players Rank the 919 Prime among BBCOR bats?

#2

What popularity rank is the 919 Prime BBCOR Bat?

#4

All Louisville Slugger BBCOR Owner Average Satisfaction:

83%

USSSA (7 Responses)

See All USSSA Rankings

Prime 919 USSSA owners satisfaction:

84%

Owners of the Prime 919 USSSA who believe they have the best bat:

29%

Where do USSSA players rank the Prime 919 USSSA Bat?

#6

How Popular is the Prime 919 USSSA Bat?

#5

All Louisville Slugger USSSA Owner Average Satisfaction:

84%

USA (12 Responses)

See All USSSA Rankings

919 Prime USA owners satisfaction:

81%

Owners of the 919 Prime USA who believe they have the best bat:

77%

What rank do USA players give the 919 Prime USA bat?

#9

What rank is the popularity of the 919 Prime USA Bat?

#17

All Louisville Slugger USA Model Owner Average Satisfaction:

81%

BBCOR 919 Prime Recommendations

Although there are several two piece composite bats on the market today, Slugger’s 919 Prime is one of the best. High School and BBCOR players love the feel on hits and mishits. The performance feels great out of the wrapper. The 919 BBCOR is just like the 918 version.

Price Check

USA 919 Prime Recommendations

New for 2019, the 919 Prime in the USA Slugger lineup is a welcome addition. Slugger proved they can handle the new regulation with the Solo and Select versions in 2018 (which, according to some, dominated the market). The 919 in a USA Version is likely the most exciting add this year in the USA bat space.

Price Check

USSSA 919 Prime Recommendations

As we see it, the 919 in the Big Barrel/USSSA space has never really caught on with travel ball type players in the youth ball space. The bats are good, no doubt, but this version of the 91X bat gets overshadowed by the CF Zens and Marucci CAT 8’s of the world. It’s plenty good enough and comes in a huge range of sizes.

Price Check

2019 vs 2018 919 Prime

There are a few fundamental changes to the 2019 Prime when compared to the 2018 Prime.

The grip has changed from the standard Lizard Skin grip to one manufactured by Louisville Slugger. For some, this is no reason to fret. A grip is a grip is a grip. And adding a Lizard skin, or any number of grips available on the market today is easy enough. Rumor has it that Slugger doesn’t have the Lizard Skin contract anymore.
Slugger changed the connective piece in the 919 from the Tru3 in the 918. This new connective piece is called the VCX. Our hitters didn’t feel much difference in the two bats, although Slugger claims the VCX adds some durability and better weight distribution.
USA Bat: For some, the most significant change in the 91X line from Slugger is the long-awaited edition of a two-piece composite USA Bat to the mix. The USA Bat is a massive step in this new market, and there should be plenty up for trying it out.

2018

918 Prime

We hit with the 918 Prime for an entire season. One of our BBCOR players used the 32/29 during his high school play.

Price Check

2017

917 Prime

After 2 solid hours in the cage with Slugger's 2017 917 Prime in tow we have a good grasp on its total performance, how it compares to it's predecessor and what type of hitter will appreciate this bat the most.

Price Check

2016

916 Prime

We spent 8 hours evaluating and researching the 2016 Louisville Slugger 916 Prime baseball bat.

Price Check

Comparable Bats

The two peice composite bat space is no stranger to competition. Every serious bat company seems to make a really good one in this space. In terms of a similar swing weight and feel on contact look for the 2019 CF Zen and the 2019 Rawlings Quatro Pro. Each of those bats, like the 919, come in a number of sizes and leagues.

If you want to be crazy then Slugger sure would like to see you consider their Meta 9 Prime. New for 2019 this is the flagship bat of Slugger’s bat offering. It has some serious upgrades from the 919 Prime and worth a look. If you can believe it, it also costs more.

2019 CF Zen

See the CF Zen Review

We have hit with the BBCOR, Drop 5, Drop 8 and Drop 10 2019 DeMarini CF Zen. The bat rakes. Plain and simple.

Price Check

2019 Quatro PRO

See the Quatro PRO Review

Rawlings looks to improve upon the durability of their flagship bat with the 2019 Rawlings Quatro Pro. The BBCOR version of the bat was our favorite bbcor bat in 2018.

Price Check

2019 Project 3 ADV

See the Project 3 ADV Review

Easton’s top end bat for 2019 is called the Project 3 ADV. The ADV comes with a few features we’ve yet to ever see on other bats including a Power Boost knob and an improvement in the connective piece.

Price Check

919 Prime vs Meta 9 Prime

The big buzz this year, we predict, will be the Meta 9 Prime from Slugger. If for anything, the fact the bat is more expensive than every bat on the market by $50. But, the meta is a stiff feeling and massively barreled two-piece composite bat.

Of course, those looking at the 918 will wonder why not save $50 and get the other two-piece composite barrel in Slugger’s line (the 919 Prime). We suspect many will face this dilemma. Ultimately, there are two things you’ll find in the Meta 9 you won’t find in the 919 Prime. If that is worth your $50, we simply can’t tell.

The Meta 9 will have a larger barrel than the 919 Prime. Not a crazy amount more significant, but big enough to tell. The swing weights will be very similar.
The Meta 9’s connection piece is much stiffer. It gives it that single piece power but still the sting dampening of a two-piece composite.

Note, as well, the Meta 9 will ONLY come in a BBCOR size. Expect the 919 in USA, USSSA, and a wide range of BBCOR sizes.

2019 919 Prime Construction

The 919 Prime from Slugger is a two piece composite bat. Meaning, the bat’s barrel and handle are constructed separate and then put together post production. How a bat connects its handle to its barrel considerable affects its performance and feel. Slugger’s connection is know for a real great feel on both good and bad hits. It is not a terribly stiff connection. Which, of course, has its downsides too in that you might loose some power on off-center hits.

Bat Sizing Options

We liked the 918 Prime in BBCOR so much because it came in a great range of sizes. Especially in BBCOR. It was one of the only composite BBCOR bats you could find in shorts like a 30.

Expect the same generous sizing options in the 919 prime. That is, short USSSA and BBCOR options.

Maybe most noteworthy, the 2019 919 Prime will come in a USA Bat version also. This is big news for Slugger fans who spent much of last year looking for a high end USA Bat but couldn’t find a slugger option (although the 718 did just fine).

9.3

Pop

9.5

Durability

9.8

Feel on Sweet Spot Hits

8.6

Feel on Mishits

8.2

Worth the Price

Users (6 votes) {{ reviewsOverall }} / 10

What people say... Leave your rating

Order by:

Be the first to leave a review.

Verified

/ 10

{{{ review.rating_title }}}

{{{review.rating_comment | nl2br}}}

Leave your rating

Pop
Durability
Feel on Sweet Spot Hits
Feel on Mishits
Worth the Price

5 1 vote

Article Rating

1 Comment

Oldest

Newest Most Voted

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Hagan Hejduk

1 year ago

This bat makes me very disappointed. I’ve been swinging the 917 and I love it but after a while I needed an upgrade so I got the 919. It is honestly terrible the 917 has way more pop and has a smoother swing. The 919 makes you have a jerky swing as it is slightly endloaded. I did swing end loaded bats a little last year and swung well but the 919 does not fee right. If you barrel up the ball the bat feels excellent but it’s hard to do with the weight distribution.

2018 Lousiville Slugger 918 Prime Review »