2021 Marucci CAT 9 Review | We Hit the Legend

Huge 9-Year-Olds Bat Choice

I have a BIG 9-year-old, who has been playing little league and I am finally allowing to play travel ball in the Spring. He has been practicing with the travel team for the past year. He has a USA Louisville Slugger Prime, 30-inch drop 10. He was hitting in the 80 to 85 mph cages yesterday for the first time, making good contact once he got the hang. He can hit the ball over the fence of a 200 ft little league field. Right now he is 5 ft tall, 115 lb, wears a men’s size 8, has the same size head like me and his hands aren’t far behind.

My goal is to find the best bat for both USA and USSSA so it feels the same for him. I know he needs 2 different certification bats.

~Andrew

Andrew,

You sure he’s 9?

🙂

If your goal is to find the best bat for a 9-year-old who is already hitting a USA bat 200+ with a 30/20, then I’m not sure we have any advice that will make that any better. Enjoy it while it lasts. (I also can’t imagine the type of sting that might occur from on a drop 10 with 80+ cage work, but that’s beside the point).

Our only suggestion would be to get a lower drop bat. We’ve found that the sooner kids can get more weight in their bat is when they really start doing damage. We’d suggest a real close look at a bat like a drop 8 CF or Marucci CAT 9 or CAT 9 Connect in USSSA. In USA, look for a drop 5 718 Select. That might sound crazy right now, a 30/25. But, if he can catch up to 80+mph fastballs, he’ll be putting them on the freeway with a drop 5 in Little League.

Hope that helps at least a bit.

Also, any chance we can get an autograph?

Thanks and good luck!

CAT 9 vs Bonesaber Swing Weight Confusion?

Could you help clear up the confusion? Someone else had asked you a question about the Bonesaber and you answered “we measured the BBCOR 33″ Bonesaber as a 9300 MOI. The average 33″ BBCOR bat swings at 9250. It is safe to say the Bonesaber in BBCOR is just slightly above average in swing weight. That’s considerably lighter than a bat like the CAT 9 but heavier than a bat-like DeMarini’s CF.” However, on your swing weight chart, the 2020 Bonesaber and the 2021 CAT 9 are almost the exact swing weight. I’m trying to decide between these two bats. Do they have similar swing weights?

~Tyler

Tyler,

Thanks for the clarifying question. The short answer is it appears we messed up in our answer. The Bonesaber is not considerably heavier than the CAT 9. So, it does swing similarly. We’ve edited that answer.

Here’s what we think happened, not that you’re looking for an excuse, is the CAT 8, and CAT 7 always swung on the heavy side. The CAT 9, however, does not. We were answering a question in our minds, thinking the CAT 9 was on the heavy side. In either case, the word considerable wasn’t accurate, but we think that is what happened. FWIW.

In any event, we’re glad to see people are reading what we’re answering and then having questions of their own!

Rawlings VELO ACP vs Marucci Cat 9

Son likes and swings one-piece alloys a lot better than composite bats. As any other dad looking to get him in the best bat that feels right. Was wondering what is the better bat the Marucci Cat 9 or the Rawlings VELO? Have heard some people favor the VELO and wanted to hear what an expert had to say. My son uses a drop 10 28-29 ounce bat.

Thank you in advance for your time.

~Jose

Jose,

Our experience with the VELO in the youth space has not been terribly impressive. We think it’s too light to pack a punch. It does sound loud and some parents seem to like that, but we’ve found no correlation between a loud bat and a long hit.

We like the CAT series of bats better than the VELO ACP series in the youth space. It has a bigger barrel and swings with more gumption. Granted, in exit speed tests both are pretty similar. But, we’ve yet to find a player hitting side by side the VELO and Marucci CAT in USSSA or USA that prefers the Velo. It’s either a tie or advantage: CAT 9.

That is our $0.02. Get a 29/19 in a CAT 9 and get him to work

Switching to USSSA big barrel

My son is currently playing in a league that requires using a USA or USSSA 2-1/4 barrel max. He has really hit well this season with the 2016 29/18 Easton Mako. In the spring he will be allowed use a USSSA 2-3/4 barrel. I was thinking about getting him the 30/20 Easton Maxum. Is there a bat you would recommend instead? Why?

~Karl

Karl,

The Big Barrel USSSA space is dominated by DeMarini’s CF and Marucci’s CAT series of bats. There is a reason for that. They are great in feel, barrel performance and popular demand. Groupthink should never be the only reason to buy a bat. But, there is a law of averages here—and a lot of people give mostly great ratings back to the CF and the CAT in USSSA.

Our guess would be he might not appreciate the single piece feel of the Combat Maxum—although we do love the barrel size on that bat. If he likes the MAKO from 2016 (a legendary bat) then he’ll like the two-piece feel of a bat like the CF and Easton ADV. Hope that helps.

CAT 9 Connect vs Rawlings 5150 BBCOR

Dear Bat Guy,

My barely 14-year son swings a 2019 Rawlings 5150 BBCOR (32in). I am thinking about purchasing a 2021 Cat 9 Connect BBCOR (32in). Are the bat swing characteristics similar? eg swing weight, exit velocity, etc.

~David

David,

Thanks for the question. In terms of swing weight and exit speed, you’ll get a very similar experience between the 5150 and CAT 9 Connect. Both are a bit heavier than average and the BBCOR standard has leveled the playing field insomuch that both have really similar pop.

The biggest difference will be feel. The feel will be so different, in fact, we suspect your son will think they perform differently. It just depends on what he prefers, but most younger hitters will believe that a two-piece bat feels better and, therefore, he hits the CAT 9 Connect better more consistently.

Our general sense is the CAT 9 Connect might be a better fit for your 14-year-old when compared to the 5150 because he will like the feel more. That said, at 14, most hitters like light swinging bats, and the 5150 or CAT 9 Connect don’t fit that bill. We don’t mean to make your question more complicated than it needs to be. But, in the end, we think a light swinging two-piece bat like a Voodoo Balanced (from 2019 or 2020) could be a better fit than either of those. But, if you’ve narrowed it down between the 5150 and the Connect then, without consideration for price, we’d suggest the CAT 9 Connect for a mostly similar experience in swing weight and exit speeds.

Swing Weight and the Bonesaber

Dear Bat Guy,

My son is moving to 10U travel ball. Since starting travel ball he has had issues finding a USSSA bat he likes. His rec ball (USA) bat is the Easton ADV1 30/18. He is 4’11” and 85 lbs. I am trying to get him to hit a 30/20 but it seems a little heavy. He has tried a DSB Swag 30/20 and he seems a little slow with it. I’m thinking the weight issue is actually due to bat balance? He does batting practice with a wood 30-inch bat and swings it with no issues. Actually he hits very well with the wooden bat. I have been trying to do a little research on what “feels” more like his wooden bat and I came across the Warstic Bonesaber. Do you have any thoughts on that particular bat or suggestions on a not end loaded/more balanced bat?

Craig

Craig,

Love it. Thanks.

To answer your last question first: we measured the BBCOR 33″ Bonesaber as a 9300 MOI. The average 33″ BBCOR bat swings at 9250. It is safe to say the Bonesaber in BBCOR is just slightly above average in swing weight. That’s lighter than a bat like the CAT 8/7 (but not lighter than a bat like the CAT 9) and heavier than a bat-like DeMarini’s CF.

See all our USSSA swing weights (sans the Bonesaber).

Now, your question is about the USSSA version of that bat. Unfortunately, we don’t have that exact model’s swing weight in hand at the moment, but it’s fair to guess that it runs a bit heavier than the average. We think it feels more like the DSB Swag than the ADV1—which is a very, very light swing. As much as we love the Bonesaber in bigger, more substantial sizes, we think it is unlikely to be the right pick for a 10U player that’s had success with an ADV1 and thinks the DSB Swag is a bit endloaded.

Our thought: have you looked at the CAT 9 Connect yet? That 30/20 swings light, feels great and has some incredible exit speeds. However, based on what you’ve said, I might lean towards the 29/19 before the 30/20. Swing weight, as we think you’ve correctly surmised, is the crucial leading factor in choosing the right bat.

If you’re not down for the CAT 9 Connect, then, of course, there is always DeMarini’s CF. The CF is far and away from the most popular bat in that niche. It does have a history of breaking, but it fits that light swing, big barrel, and feels great on the hands. Many swear by its performance, too (we included). That bat, however, isn’t cheap.

If it were us, we’d take a real close look at the CAT 9 Connect and see if we couldn’t get it in a 29/19. If that didn’t feel right for whatever reason, a 30/20 (or even 29/19) CF Glitch would be next on our list.

If you want something less expensive, try and find a 30/20 (or 29/19) Slugger Prime used on eBay to tide you over until you can get more chances to see what is the exact right size for him.

We hope that helps, and thanks for reaching out.