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By Bat Digest
Updated November 17, 2022
Louisville Slugger recently released a set of professional-grade wood-crafted baseball bats just like the pro versions of these bats but available for amateur players. These MLB Authentic Cuts are the only wood bats on the market that carry the MLB logo. The bats are downright beautiful. We had a chance to swing with a few of them and can say with confidence these bats are high-quality sticks that feel just like the real deal. Great craftsmanship and we wouldn't expect anything less from Slugger. Five Louisville Slugger MLB Authentic Cut models are available: three maple, one ash, and one birch. The maple comes in the popular C271 and L13 models, as well as one professional turning model. Both the ash and birch bats are Louisville Slugger professional turning models which are just like the pros swing.
Maple Maple is the species preferred by most pro players. It features the ultimate surface hardness and provides an unmatched sound and feel at contact. Naturally harder, maple offers added strength at impact. Closed grains eliminate flaking, commonly seen with ash, allowing superior durability... The balanced swing weight of the C271 – among the top three turning models ordered by the pros – maximizes bat control and a player’s ability to get the barrel where it needs to be, when it needs to be there. Birch Birch, the fastest growing species in professional baseball, features the ideal combination of surface hardness and flexibility for increased durability. Hardness similar to maple provides great sound and feel at contact. Flexibility closer to ash allows for forgiveness on nonbarrel contact, decreasing the chance of fractured breakage. Lighter per pound than maple, birch also affords lighter swing weights for comparable turning models. Ash Ash, still widely popular among big-league guys, provides the ultimate in flexibility due to its unique grain structure. More forgiving than maple, ash rarely sees fractured breakage. Visible grain lines allow for noticeable quality, giving you the confidence you need when you step to the plate.