2021 Marucci CAT 9 Review

Updated July 6, 2023

The long-awaited Marucci CAT 9 was made widely available on 8.31.2020. (Check here to buy it). For 2021, expect the same great barrel with a new alloy and the same AV2 knob found in the CAT 8. The 2021 Marucci CAT 9 comes in BBCOR, USSSA and USA. It's big barrel and light swing in USSSA will attract a lot of hitters, again. The not too end-loaded BBCOR performs as well as any BBCOR bat on the market, has a loud ping and a great look.

Price Check

2021 CAT 9 Video

2021 CAT 9 Models

Our hitters like the loud sound, great feel for a single piece, and what feels like a long sweet spot on the 2021 Marucci CAT 9. The bat looks great and doesn't feel much different (if at all) when compared to the 2020 CAT 8. That isn't a bad thing, but it does feel a bit like the same old CAT with a new look and a differently named alloy.

General Recommendations

The 2021 CAT 9 in USSSA is a balanced to light swinging big barrel single-piece aluminum bat. Performance-wise, it does well in the space and performs as well as the DeMarini CF, which has dominated the area for years. In BBCOR, the bat swings heavier than most give it credit. We consider the bat with a slight end-load but a colossal barrel, great sound, and top-notch performance.

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Previous Bats

As we stated above, the 2021 Marucci CAT 9 comes with an upgraded allow when compared to the CAT 8. They changed some things to make it more durable and a bit thinner. Marucci still uses multivariable wall thickness to extend the length of the sweet spot and bring down swing weight. As well, in the BBCOR bats, they added a groove along the length of the barrel to bring down the swing weight even more.

Construction

Marucci has used the same general principles in their CAT line of bats ever since the now illegal Cat 5. That is, they:

use a high performing barrel that uses variable wall thickness to create a longer sweet spot.
Implant a silicone piece inside the knob of the bat to help dampen sting on mishits (they call this the AV2).
Do not use any rings inside the barrel.
Focus the bats swing weight towards the knob for a lighter feeling bat.
Use a single piece of aluminum to construct the entire bat.