The Best Baseball Bats and Fastpitch Bats
Last updated: November 26, 2022
We’ve spent hours in the cage tracking and reporting bat performance. Over the years, (we’ve been writing on this site since 2015), we’ve captured hundreds of lists of the best baseball and fastpitch bats. Below is our collection of articles, best bats and gear.
Best BBCOR Bats
#1 2022 DeMarini The Goods
The 2022 The Goods is a fantastic BBCOR bat. It swings a little heavy, so this is not for the faint of heart, but those who like the idea of a hybrid and want to hang trophies with what many consider the best BBCOR bat on the market for 2022 should look real close at The Goods.
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Best Fastpitch
#1 2022 Louisville Slugger LXT
The 2022 Louisville Slugger LXT Fastpitch bat in a drop 10 is our hitter’s favorite bat for 2022. It also ranks out in the top echelon for exit speeds, gets crazy great reviews online, and is available in a wide range of sizes. It works well for the big hitter who still wants a drop 10 in a 34 and the newer hitter looking for their first taste of serious performance fastpitch. All in all, the 2022 LXT is an easy choice for our best 2022 Fastpitch bat.
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Best USA Bat
#1 2022 Easton ADV 360
Although there are plenty of great less expensive options, if you want the creme de la creme of USA bats for 2022, then the drop 10 USA Easton Ghost ADV is the winner, winner, chicken dinner. The bat has a fantastic feel, huge barrel, and top-end exit speeds. Those who want the bat in the USA that feels the most like a USSSA bat should find a home for an ADV 360 drop 10 from 2022.
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Best Big Barrel
#1 2021 Marucci CAT 9 Composite
2021 Marucci CAT 9 Composite
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Best Youth Bat
#1 2022 DeMarini Zen
Cliche’? Yes. Predictable? Yes. Wrong? No.This is the first year we have awarded a NON-drop 10 bat as our favorite USSSA bat. It seems like many are very willing to size their young one into a drop 8, and we think that this is fine as long as they are eager to sacrifice an inch. Never get the wrong-sized bat even if someone, like us, says it’s the ‘best.’ In any case, We love the drop 8 CF. It is predictable, more durable than the drop 10, packs a serious punch, and feels fantastic. No one walks away from hitting the drop 8 USSSA CF without anything but a smile.
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Best Wood Bats
#1 2023 Victus Victus V-Cuts
There are tons of great wood bats on the market, for sure. But we love the V-Cuts from Victus the most. We like their price point, their elite feel and the fact they come from the same shop as the bats from some of the best players in the world. Although they are sometimes limited in stock, because they are blems and blems are only so many, we recommend them every time someone is looking for a serious wood bat but doesn’t want to pay the coin it usually requires to acquire a top-shelf wood bat. We think the V-Cuts are the best wood bats around.
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Best Youth Wood Bat
#1 2023 Rawlings Youth Player Preferred Y62 Ash
We think the Rawlings Youth Preferred Y62 Ash Bat is the best youth wood bat. We like the price point and the drop of 7.5. That bat also looks excellent, and any kid wanting to whet their appetite with a wood bat at a young age should like it. You can find other more expensive wood bats for youth (like Victus). But, at a young age, we don’t see the value in upgrading your wood types as swing speeds and pitch speed don’t require high-quality wood to get max performance.
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Best Slowpitch Bats
#1 2023 Monsta Torch
The Monsta TORCH is a legend. So much so that they are hard to find in stock virtually anywhere. COVID and shipping issues have done a real number on the bat’s availability. The Monsta Torch hasn’t changed much over the last couple of years and any version you can find of it is usually just a new colorway of last year’s model. The 2020 Monsta TORCH is one of the favorite USA slowpitch bats ever, and any version subsequent to that is worth picking up if budget is of no concern nd you want the bat most think is the best USA slowpitch bat.
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Best USA/ASA Slowpitch
#1 2023 Monsta Torch
The Monsta TORCH is a legend. So much so that they are hard to find in stock virtually anywhere. COVID and shipping issues have done a real number on the bat’s availability. The Monsta Torch hasn’t changed much over the last couple of years and any version you can find of it is usually just a new colorway of last year’s model. The 2020 Monsta TORCH is one of the favorite USA slowpitch bats ever, and any version subsequent to that is worth picking up if budget is of no concern nd you want the bat most think is the best USA slowpitch bat.
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Best Drop 12
#1 2022 Easton Maxum Ultra
Our favorite drop 12 bat is Eastons 2022 Maxum in USSSA. It also comes in a USA version which we’d suggest if your required to swing USA bats. If not stick with the USSSA version of the Maxum for your best bet on a high-performing drop 12 bat.”
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Best Drop 8
#1 2022 DeMarini Zen
The 2022 CF isn’t just our favorite drop 8 bat, it is our favorite USSSA bat overall. Many are willing to size their young one into a drop 8, and we think this is fine as long as they are eager to sacrifice an inch. Never get the wrong-sized bat even if someone, like us, says it’s the ‘best.’ In any case, We love the drop 8 CF. It is predictable, more durable than the drop 10, packs a serious punch, and feels fantastic. No one walks away from hitting the drop 8 USSSA CF without anything but a smile.
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Best For 13 Year Old
#1 2022 DeMarini Zen
Look, this bat is a monster. If you are 13 years old and are allowed to swing this bat, then thank your lucky stars. Sincerely, it will NEVER get better than this. BBCOR bats are duds compared to this monster. It is, without a doubt, the best-performing legal bat on the market today. Some other drop 5 bats hit it well, too, in USSSA, but swing this bat as a 13-year-old if you can because you’ll one day be able to tell your grandchildren that you were one of the few who got to swing the drop 5 CF as a teenager. Swing hard, run harder.
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Best For 12 Year Old
#1 2021 Marucci CAT 9 Composite
If you are in the market for a high-end fastpitch bat and your daughter is 12 years old, you can’t go wrong with the 2022 LXT from Slugger. Since 2015, the LXT has been ranking fastpitch bats on top of most lists. It has a huge sweet spot, feels excellent on hits and mishits, and can hit the ball hard. We love the LXT for that younger player who is just getting serious about fastpitch and think it will be the bat that will carry them to their first high school tryout in a year or two.
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Best For 11 Year Old
#1 2022 Louisville Slugger Meta
2022 Louisville Slugger Meta
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Best for 10 Year Old
#1 2021 DeMarini CF
If you chose the 2021 DeMarini CF as your favorite bat as a 10-year-old, you are in fantastic company. Hitters love the CF in a drop 10, and it is, by all measures, legendary. The bat has a massive barrel, great light swing, and gives the perception of serious pop on just about every swing. The 2021 Demarini CF is the same as the 2019 and 2020 version of the bat, so still suffers from durability issues—although much less than the CF from 2015 to 2017. If it were not for the durability, it’s no holds bar price and the fact composite appears to be a bit less dominant among 10-year-olds, then the CF would be our favorite. In fact, it probably is our favorite; we’ve just been awarding it, so the last 5 years so are biased towards a change.
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Best For 8 Year Old
#1 2022 Marucci F5
Want all the power, performance, and barrel size of the CAT 9 at a fraction of the price? Then the Marucci F5 is your ticket out of bat buying research mode. For an 8-year-old, we like this bat best because the pitch and swing speeds are not yet high enough to engage the barrel–so any tech that adds extra pop because of the bounce in the barrel becomes ineffective. We think the F5 is the best bat for an 8-year-old. You get the right swing weight, barrel size, and feel, all for a much more reasonable price point.
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Best for 7 Year Old
#1 2022 Marucci F5
It’s in the right size, has a great price point, looks wonderful, feels great and as long as your kid isn’t generating ton of swing speed (and who is at 7?) then he or she should love it. We think the 2022 Marucci F5 in JBB is the best bat for a 7 year old. For most, we’d recommend the 27/17, but a 26/16 will likely work just fine too.
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Best For 6 Year Old
#1 2022 Axe Hero Hyperspeed
2022 Axe Hero Hyperspeed
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Best Tee Ball Bats
#1 2023 Axe Avenge Pro Tee Ball
2023 Axe Avenge Pro Tee Ball
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The Best 32 Inch
#1 2022 Louisville Slugger Meta
We like the META in a drop 8, and those willing to swing a 32-inch USSSA ball could find this to be the perfect bat. Of course, don’t swing the wrong size bat if it doesn’t fit (that’s the most critical thing we preach). We love the big barrel, smooth feel, and excellent performance of the drop 8 META in USSSA. You have plenty of good 32-inch options in USSSA, but you will not go wrong with the drop 8 META in a 32/24.
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Best USSSA Slowpitch
#1 2022 Miken DC41 Supermax Load 14
Look, you can’t go wrong here. The USSSA bat standard is pretty good at limiting the performance of bats, and while a few have reached the max performance, the DC 41 is a no brainer in terms of its expected maximum pop. The bat swings heavy, so do note that (this is the MaxLoad version), but we think most reasonable-sized individuals can swing this bat hard enough to do some serious damage.
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Best Fungo Bats
#1 2023 Brett Bros Maple Fungo
We think the Brett Bros Fungo cut from Rock Maple is the best fungo bat on the market today. It probably isn’t as ‘nice’ as the SSK PS200, but when you consider its price point and how much people love them, we think it’s a pretty easy choice. If you want to hit balls to the outfield or infield and don’t care much about having the SSK as the pro teams use, then the Brett Bros is the way to go.
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Best Coach Pitch Bat
#1 2022 Marucci F5
If you are in a league requiring USA bats for coach pitch (which we don’t know why anyone would do that, but each league to their own, I guess), then go with a bat like the Maxum Ultra in a USA drop 12. This bat swings ridiculously light, has a massive barrel, and can swing well. However, its smallest size is a 27, which might be quite the carry for a little guy. So, if they aren’t on the bigger side for Coach pitch, you might want to jump into the T-Ball range of bats for a league that requires the USA. Also, don’t get this bat if you can swing USSSA bats (or, like most coach pitch leagues, there are no bat restrictions). This bat pick is the last resort bat for coach pitch that requires a USA bat, but you don’t want to go the T-Ball route.
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Best Aluminum
#1 2022 DeMarini The Goods
There is nothing quite like the 2022 Anderson Rocketech. It’s a dual-walled ally bat in the fastpitch space that performs well. It’s a fantastic cold weather bat, and although it swings heavily really can generate the power of the other fastpitch bats if it is swung hard and well. Smaller kids with lower impact speeds will not like this bat. But big hitters who play in cold weather should have the Anderson Rocketech in their bat.
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Best Composite Bat
#1 2022 DeMarini Zen
If you must go USA league and composite in a drop 5, then the ADV 360 from Easton is your best bet. The bat hits the ball far, feels great, and does pack a punch. We like everything about this bat but the price point.
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Best Composite Wood Bat
#1 2020 Baum Baum Wood
Although it feels cliche and overhyped, we still think the Baum composite is the best. We can’t tell much difference between the white and gold-labeled ones, so go with the cheaper (white) if you can. The bats are good, last a lifetime, and might be the only thing you buy in the baseball equipment world where you can resell at a much later date for about what you paid. If you are looking for the best composite wood bat, there isn’t a soul in the country who can honestly think you didn’t choose well if you go Baum.
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Best for Home Runs
#1 2022 Louisville Slugger Select PWR
A lot would choose the CF in this category of the best bat to hit home runs. We would agree with that. But we like the Meta and have the data to prove that the bat can beat the crap out of the ball. If you can swing a drop 5 USSSA bat and want to go yard, then pick yourself up a drop 5 Meta. It’s a beauty.
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Best Balanced Bats
#1 2021 Easton Maxum Ultra
2021 Easton Maxum Ultra
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Best Home Run Derby Bats
#1 2015 Miken Ultra II
Like most traditional ball-killing softball bats, the Miken Ultra II is a single-piece composite bat. The break-in time for the Ultra II ranges from 100 to 300 hits, depending a bit on the bat and a bit on how hard you break it in. Once it is worked in, expect check swings at 300 feet.Any negative ratings on the Ultra II are directly correlated with the bat’s durability. It is not the most durable bat in the world—the price you pay for homers. And if you use it a lot, you can expect it to break on the sweet spot during a hit. No doubt a disappointment, but think of all the girlfriends the bat has produced for you—an easy decision for a guy who spends his spare time playing slowpitch softball.We do not suggest you use this Ultra II for batting practice.
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Best Cheap Bats
#1 2022 Marucci F5
Ok, ok. It’s not the cheapest BBCOR bat (that would be a used BBCOR bat), but it’s inexpensive, and it has as much pedigree as any bat on the market. In fact, it might be the most iconic bat on the market. Slugger continues to try and push this bat in the background compared to ones like the Meta and the Select PWR. But the Omaha keeps banging, and many serious players have it as their go-to bat. It feels great for a single piece and has a great swing weight for big hitters in the 33 and 34-inch but then changes its balance point when moving to the 29 through 32-inch. It’s a well-thought-out bat that is on the cheaper side of the BBCOR world and, for that, we recommend it as one of our favorite cheap BBCOR bats.
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Best USA Under $50
#1 2020 Rawlings Raptor
There isn’t much to differentiate between cheap USA bats. Each is a single-piece alloy and is priced more based on the graphics and brand than any actual performance. The Havoc is Easton’s take on a cheap USA bat and can work as well as any others on this list. If you want an Easton bat that is cheap and has the USA stamp, then this is it. The bat is a good value buy, and many people are pleased with their purchase.The bat has not changed over the years, so feel free to get any model year you can find and expect the same results.
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Best Bats Under $100
#1 2023 Rawlings Big Stick Elite
The best wood bat under $100 is the Rawlings Big Stick Elite Adult Wood bat. However, note that some versions of this bat are over $100 (more like $119). But, at the time of this writing and the time we updated it, we could find at least one version of the Big Stick Elite for $99.99. Do a bit of shopping around and see if you can’t pick one of these up. They are, far and away, the best wood bat under $100 and consistently rank out as one of our favorite wood bats too.
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BBCOR Bat for Power
#1 2022 True Bats HZRDUS
We’ll get some eye-rolls with this one. Bats like The Goods from DeMarini or the Select PWR from Slugger are legit bats used at the highest metal and composite game level. No doubt about it, The Goods and the PWR can rake and sing when in the hands of big hitters. That said, we think the True HZRDUS is just as good, readily accessible, and comes with much less hype but just as much punch as the ones you’ve heard of. So, at least for here, we rate the HZRDUS as our favorite BBCOR bat for power hitters.
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World’s Hottest
#1 2017 DeMarini CF Zen
Over the years there have been several crazy hot bats in the slowpitch softball space. Pushing the limits on bat performance is felt nowhere more acutely than in men’s softball. Most of the world’s hottest softball bats are found in single-piece composites. And while many could make the top of our list, we like the Miken ULTRA II as the hottest softball bat in the universe. Do note, however, that the bat’s durability is terrible. But, while the handle is still attached to the barrel, expect to hit crazy monster bombs.
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