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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.
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.
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:
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.
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
$100
Original Price
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.
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:
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.
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:
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:
$170
Original Price
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.
Certification: Wood
Sizes: 32, 33
Barrel Size: 2 5/8
Drop: 3
Swing Weight: Mid
Serial Number: VRWMFT23CHBLK
Original Price: $200
Release Month:
$200
Original Price
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?
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.
Certification: Wood
Barrel Size: 2 5/8
Sizes: 31, 32, 33, 34
Drop: 3
Serial Number: Victus
Release Month:
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.
Certification: Wood
Barrel Size: 2 5/8
Sizes: 30, 31, 32, 33, 34
Drop: 3
Serial Number: I13RBB
Release Month: July 2022
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.
Certification: Wood
Barrel Size: 2 5/8
Sizes: 30, 31, 32, 33, 34
Drop: 3
Serial Number: Chandler
Release Month:
Why We Love the 2023 Private Stock
Certification: Wood
Barrel Size: 2 5/8
Sizes: 30, 31, 32, 33, 34
Drop: 3
Serial Number: BM110
Release Month:
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.
Certification: Wood
Barrel Size: 2 5/8
Sizes: 30, 31, 32, 33, 34
Drop: 3
Serial Number: MVE2AP5BK/N
Release Month:
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?
Certification: Wood
Barrel Size: 2 5/8
Sizes: 32, 33
Drop: 3
Serial Number: VRWMFT23CHBLK
Release Month:
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.
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.
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.
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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