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By Bat Digest | Last Updated November 17, 2022
After recording several hitter’s experiences with the 2019 Rawlings Velo, we write this review. In short, hitters liked the light swing, loud sound, and trusted name of the 2019 Velo. The bat is a light swinging, sounds loud, and can hit it well if you can dial it in. Many players don’t like what they think is the smaller sweet spot and the hand wrings on mishits.
In short, hitters liked the light swing, loud sound, and trusted name of the 2019 Velo. A few did not like the hand sting and smaller barrel size. We’d recommend the bat to those who want a traditional feeling stiff bat with a light swing and a loud sound. Exit speeds looked good, but the bat lacked the swing weight to be considered a fireball. But it swings well, and a good hitter can make this work fine.
On the whole, we recommend the bat for those looking for a single-piece aluminum bat with a light swing. The BBCOR versions and the lower drops (like 5) felt between decent and good even on mishit balls. The lighter swinging bats (like the drop 10 USA) definitely delivered some hand sting on mishit balls–especially if the swing speed and pitch speed were fast.
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The single-piece aluminum bat space is replete with options. We like bats like Easton’s Beast series as well as DeMarini’s one. Don’t forget either about Slugger’s 619 Solo or their 518 Omaha.
In terms of a real comparable bat (by way of construction), the 619 Solo is the most alike. It has a single-piece aluminum structure with an extended composite end cap and, like the 2019 Velo, comes in several sizing and league options.
Some would argue the Velo is a lot like the Marucci CAT 8. They both use variable wall thickness, but it’s hard to say these bats are too similar in terms of feel and barrel size. Where, we think, the CAT 8 shines.
Except the stock grip, there are virtually no changes in the 2019 Velo when compared to the 2018 version. Many would say that is a good thing. They liked the light swing, durable nature, and loud ping of the trusty Rawlings. That said, you’d do well to look for the 2018 version of the bat.
Like years past, the 2019 Rawlings Velo uses an extended composite end cap on a single-piece aluminum bat that uses variable wall thickness to extend the barrel’s length. In English, they:
The overall rating uses seven different weighted metrics to determine our overall score. Half of total rating comes from the player and our exit speed tests (Player Rating: 25%, Performance: 25%).The other categories are Relevance (20%), Demand (10%), Durability (10%), Resell Score (5%), and Tech Specs (5%).
*: When a bat is denoted by a star (*) it is a preliminary rating. Expect it to be updated as we learn more about the bat and gather more data.
(PlaRa) Player Rating: We measure player rating from user reviews. Those users include our own hitters that we test at the lab as well as reviews we find online.
(ExVe) Performance: Performance measures the exit speeds and distances we capture in our hitting lab with HitTrax using these bats.
(Relv) Relevance: We measure the number of sizes and the MOI of the bat. Bats with a wider range of options get a better score.
(Dmnd) Demand: Demand is measured by consumer sentiment and the buzz around the bat.
(Drb) Durability: A bat’s durability is measured by user reviews as well as feedback from manufacturers.
(ReSl) Resell Score: Based on the price the bats go for used. Higher prices mean greater user demand which means, generally, a better bat. A resell value closer to its original price means a higher score.
(Tech) Tech Specs: We rate the bat on its technological advancements from previous years and compared to the industry at large. This is our chance to reward companies who are trying to innovate.
MOI
MOI or Mass Moment of Inertia is a measurement of bat swing weight. This quantifies how difficult it is to swing a bat. The industry often refers to this as things like End Load or Balanced but those words have been overused to the point of meaninglessness. We measure the actual swing weights of each bat we test using the industry-standard pendulum period, balance point, and scale weight. You can read more about that here.
Price
The price is the original MSRP price of the bat.
Type
The types of bats are single-piece alloy (SPA), two-piece composite (TPC), single-piece composite (SPC), hybrid (Hyb.), and wood (Wood). Hybrid bats are made of composite handles and alloy barrles.
Date
The estimated date the bat began distribution.
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