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By Bat Digest | Last Updated November 17, 2022
Marucci is releasing a new bat for 2021 called the Marucci CAT 9 Composite. This is a two-piece composite bat found in USSSA, USA, and BBCOR. The bat will compete directly in a very competitive two-piece market against bats like the META, CF, ADV 360, and Quatro Pro. The bat has a balanced swing, huge barrel and, according to some our hitters, hits absolute rockets.
Our hitters like the big barrel, smooth swing, and great feel of the 2021 Marucci CAT 9 Composite. The drop 5 CAT Connect competes with the best in the business. (Yes, that is, the drop 5 Cat Connect competes with the CF Zen). The bat has not been out long enough to make commentary on the durability, but we’re hopeful.
The CAT Composite is for no joke baseball players. That means, if you play a lot of games, see high pitch speed, and are willing to spend the money it takes to get top end gear, then the CAT 8 could be on your short list.
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The idea of a two-piece composite bat with a HUGE barrel is common in the USSSA space. Companies like DeMarini and the CF Zen, Easton and their Ghost X (Mako), Rawlings and their Quatro have been living there, and thriving there, for quite a while.
The CAT Composite reminds us most of a nearly unheard of bat in the Mizuno Ghost in terms of barrel size. However, as of 2018, the Mizuno Ghost was only a USA Bat. Marucci has yet to get into the USA space.
If we compare construction and drop sizes, then bats like Easton’s Ghost X and DeMarini’s CF Zen fit a close competitor to the CAT Composite.
There isn’t a real last year’s version of the Marucci CAT Composite. But, for sure, Marucci took what they learned from the Marucci Hex Connect and made it into a better version. Though, Serious upgrades go into the CAT connect, including the connect (SCX) connection used in the Cat 8 BBCOR Connect.
Marucci’s CAT Connect is a two-piece composite bat built with a HUUUGE barrel and nice connection piece. The connection piece, which helps absorb mishit balls’ sting, is the same one used on the high-end BBCOR CAT 8 Connect.
The bat comes in a few different drops (5, 8, and 10) and, for their class, have a swing weight in the middle of the road. Not too light, not too heavy. (MOI we measured on a 31/21 was 5800 or about 1.5% above the average—well within our margin of error).
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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