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Best Wood Bats

Updated August 4, 2022

By Bat Digest

After considering every wood bat on the market, we think the Victus V-Cuts is the best bat line on the market. If you want a specific model, we think the 110 is the best for younger hitters and the 243 is the best for more advanced hitters.

It’s hard to differentiate between wood baseball bats. They are, after all, trees. There is something to be said of the effectiveness of the billet the bat is made from, the very best billets go to the pro players. It is almost impossible for a consumer to get that kind of wood bat, even if companies say they did. However, there are a handful of wood bat companies that produce fine wood bats, and there are a few, due to their distribution, price, customer service and quality, we think are the best.

Updated August 4, 2022

We updated this with a new list for the summer of 2022 going into the 2023 season and winter workouts with new data and updated options.

1. 2023 Victus Victus V-Cuts

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Specs

Certification: Wood

Sizes: 31, 32, 33, 34

Barrel Size: 2 5/8

Drop: 3

Swing Weight: Mid

Serial Number: Victus

Original Price: $150

Release Month:

1. Best Wood Bat

2023 Victus Victus V-Cuts Wood Drop 3
Wood
2023 Victus Victus V-Cuts

$150

Original Price

Amazon

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.

2. 2023 Rawlings Big Stick Elite

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Certification: Wood

Sizes: 30, 31, 32, 33, 34

Barrel Size: 2 5/8

Drop: 3

Swing Weight: Mid

Serial Number: I13RBB

Original Price: $100

Release Month: July 2022

2. Best Cheap Wood Bat

2023 Rawlings Big Stick Elite Wood Drop 3
Wood
2023 Rawlings Big Stick Elite

$100

Original Price

Amazon

Buy Used from SidelineSwap

If you’re not in the mood to spend a lot of money (who is?) then the Rawlings Big Stick Elite is a fantastic wood bat choice. It doesn’t come with any fancy marketing or endless colorways (although there are a few), but the bat rakes, feels great and comes a price way more palatable than the snobish price of top-shelf wood. If you’re new to wood bats and need something for a summer or winter workouts, then the Rawlings Elite is our go to for best cheap wood bats.

3. 2022 Chandler Chandler Wood

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Specs

Certification: Wood

Sizes: 30, 31, 32, 33, 34

Barrel Size: 2 5/8

Drop: 3

Swing Weight: Mid

Serial Number: Chandler

Original Price: $220

Release Month:

3. Best Wood Bat (Budgetless)

2022 Chandler Chandler Wood Wood Drop 3
Wood
2022 Chandler Chandler Wood

$220

Original Price

Amazon

We think Chandler makes fantastic bats. They are beautiful, smooth, feel great, smell great, and are made great. Some of the best in the business use chandler. If you have no sense of spending too much here, then a pro level adult Chandler bat will do you well. Chandler doesn’t even carry entry-level wood bats because everything that leaves their shop is the best.

4. 2023 Birdman Bats Private Stock

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Certification: Wood

Sizes: 30, 31, 32, 33, 34

Barrel Size: 2 5/8

Drop: 3

Swing Weight: Mid

Serial Number: BM110

Original Price: $145

Release Month:

4. Best Wood Bat You've Never Heard Of

2023 Birdman Bats Private Stock Wood Drop 3
Wood
2023 Birdman Bats Private Stock

$145

Original Price

Amazon

5. 2023 Marucci AP5

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Certification: Wood

Sizes: 30, 31, 32, 33, 34

Barrel Size: 2 5/8

Drop: 3

Swing Weight: Mid

Serial Number: MVE2AP5BK/N

Original Price: $170

Release Month:

5. Best Wood Bat (JustBats.com Vote)

2023 Marucci AP5 Wood Drop 3
Wood
2023 Marucci AP5

$170

Original Price

Buy Used from SidelineSwap

JustBats

Just bats made a list of best wood bats and put the AP5 at the top. That’s a fair choice. The price is more reasonable than a bat like the Chandler, doesn’t come from the blem pile like the V-cuts, you’ve heard of it unlike the Bird Man and isn’t a ‘cheap’ bat like the Rawlings Elite. No doubt, the Marucci AP5 is an iconic maple wood bat that can absolutely rake. We have no qualms with this bat on the top of someone else’s lists.

6. 2023 Victus FT23 Fernando Tatis

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Specs

Certification: Wood

Sizes: 32, 33

Barrel Size: 2 5/8

Drop: 3

Swing Weight: Mid

Serial Number: VRWMFT23CHBLK

Original Price: $200

Release Month:

6. Best Wood Bat (Dicks Sporting Goods)

2023 Victus FT23 Fernando Tatis Wood Drop 3
Wood
2023 Victus FT23 Fernando Tatis

$200

Original Price

Dicks Sporting Goods

Dicks Sporting Goods consistently ranks the FT23 from Victus (Fernando Tatis’ bat) as their best seller in the wood bat space. It is a maple pro-grade bat with a hard finish, and fantastic look and is, by all accounts, a brilliant bat. We like the nice barrel, great feel and how you can not feel better about yourself while swinging Tatis’ bat?

Recommended Video

Best Wood Bats

1

2023 Victus Victus V-Cuts

1. Best Wood Bat

Amazon

Victus V-Cuts Ratings
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter

Why We Love the 2023 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.

Amazon

Specs

Certification: Wood

Barrel Size: 2 5/8

Sizes: 31, 32, 33, 34

Drop: 3

Serial Number: Victus

Release Month:

Our Review:

2

2023 Rawlings Big Stick Elite

2. Best Cheap Wood Bat

Amazon

Buy Used from SidelineSwap

Big Stick Elite Ratings
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter

Why We Love the 2023 Big Stick Elite

If you’re not in the mood to spend a lot of money (who is?) then the Rawlings Big Stick Elite is a fantastic wood bat choice. It doesn’t come with any fancy marketing or endless colorways (although there are a few), but the bat rakes, feels great and comes a price way more palatable than the snobish price of top-shelf wood. If you’re new to wood bats and need something for a summer or winter workouts, then the Rawlings Elite is our go to for best cheap wood bats.

Amazon

Buy Used from SidelineSwap

Specs

Certification: Wood

Barrel Size: 2 5/8

Sizes: 30, 31, 32, 33, 34

Drop: 3

Serial Number: I13RBB

Release Month: July 2022

Our Review:

3

2022 Chandler Chandler Wood

3. Best Wood Bat (Budgetless)

Amazon

Chandler Wood Ratings
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter

Why We Love the 2022 Chandler Wood

We think Chandler makes fantastic bats. They are beautiful, smooth, feel great, smell great, and are made great. Some of the best in the business use chandler. If you have no sense of spending too much here, then a pro level adult Chandler bat will do you well. Chandler doesn’t even carry entry-level wood bats because everything that leaves their shop is the best.

Amazon

Specs

Certification: Wood

Barrel Size: 2 5/8

Sizes: 30, 31, 32, 33, 34

Drop: 3

Serial Number: Chandler

Release Month:

Our Review:

4

2023 Birdman Bats Private Stock

4. Best Wood Bat You've Never Heard Of

Amazon

Private Stock Ratings
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter

Why We Love the 2023 Private Stock

Amazon

Specs

Certification: Wood

Barrel Size: 2 5/8

Sizes: 30, 31, 32, 33, 34

Drop: 3

Serial Number: BM110

Release Month:

Our Review: Birdman Bat Reviews

5

2023 Marucci AP5

5. Best Wood Bat (JustBats.com Vote)

Buy Used from SidelineSwap

JustBats

AP5 Ratings
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter

Why We Love the 2023 AP5

Just bats made a list of best wood bats and put the AP5 at the top. That’s a fair choice. The price is more reasonable than a bat like the Chandler, doesn’t come from the blem pile like the V-cuts, you’ve heard of it unlike the Bird Man and isn’t a ‘cheap’ bat like the Rawlings Elite. No doubt, the Marucci AP5 is an iconic maple wood bat that can absolutely rake. We have no qualms with this bat on the top of someone else’s lists.

Buy Used from SidelineSwap

JustBats

Specs

Certification: Wood

Barrel Size: 2 5/8

Sizes: 30, 31, 32, 33, 34

Drop: 3

Serial Number: MVE2AP5BK/N

Release Month:

Our Review:

6

2023 Victus FT23 Fernando Tatis

6. Best Wood Bat (Dicks Sporting Goods)

Dicks Sporting Goods

FT23 Fernando Tatis Ratings
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter
swing weight meter

Why We Love the 2023 FT23 Fernando Tatis

Dicks Sporting Goods consistently ranks the FT23 from Victus (Fernando Tatis’ bat) as their best seller in the wood bat space. It is a maple pro-grade bat with a hard finish, and fantastic look and is, by all accounts, a brilliant bat. We like the nice barrel, great feel and how you can not feel better about yourself while swinging Tatis’ bat?

Dicks Sporting Goods

Specs

Certification: Wood

Barrel Size: 2 5/8

Sizes: 32, 33

Drop: 3

Serial Number: VRWMFT23CHBLK

Release Month:

Our Review:

The Research

What Bat Type (Ash, Maple, Birch, Bamboo)

What Bat Type (Ash, Maple, Birch, Bamboo)

There are a few places you can read about the differences between ash, maple, and birch as well as the other options out there in the market. DSG has a decent write-up here. You can also see JustBats commentary here.

Wood Bat Terminology

Wood Bat Terminology

While you’re out shopping for the best wood bat, you’ll need to understand the terminology of a wood bat. Basically, there are six elements to the anatomy of a wood bat.

  • Knob: The knob is the part of the bat that your bottom hand rests upon. There are a significant number of bat knob types and this should be a major point of emphasis in your purchase.
  • The width of the grip matters too. The ticker the grip the less chance of breaking, but also the more difficult the bat becomes to swing.
  • The Taper is the connection between the barrel and the grip and the speed at which the taper occurs is the major difference in bat model turns. A faster taper means a heavier bat but a thicker barrel and more chances to square something up.
  • The Barrel is the part of the bat where the ball is supposed to hit the bat. Barrel max diameters are limited to 2 5/8 of an inch but many bat model turns never even make it to the max because they are trying to keep the swing weight down.
  • The end cap or end cup is the shape of the end of the bat. Some are cupped deep to help bring down swing weight, some are full for maximum power to the ball at impact.

 

Understanding Wood Bat Turns

Understanding Wood Bat Turns

Generally, wood bat turn models get thicker as the number gets higher. So, a 243 is overall thinner than a 271. A 110 is bigger than a 72.

However, as you’ll quickly learn, many wood bat companies have modeled a specific turn after a specific player. Marucci, for example, has an AP5, which is named after Albert Pujols and his jersey #5. The AP5 is a big bat, like the 243, but you wouldn’t be able to tell that. So, while paying attention to the turn number is helpful, a bat company’s desire to distinguish itself with a popular pro name has made it more difficult to know which is which.

 

What is the Right Bat Size

The right size wood bat is as important as the right wood bat brand and model. Swing weight can be affected by the turn (the model shape) as it can the length. So, above all else, get the bat that has the right size.

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