Bat Blog – Recent Reviews – Bat Digest

Composite vs Aluminum vs Hybrid vs Wood Bat

If you are deciding which type of bat to get, then the following should be informative. The differences between a Composite, Aluminum, Hybrid, and Wood bat may be obscure, but the following makes it simpler. We compare each type of bat to the other three. Below, we also have some... read more

USA Baseball Bat Standard Change 2018 | Why, When, What?

If you have yet to hear, starting January 2018, bat standards for Little League (14 and younger) will change to a more restrictive bat with BBCOR like pop. The bats' barrels can be 2 5/8-- just larger than the 2 1/4 of previous years. They will go on sale beginning... read more

The Dark Side of Bat Performance: Rolling & Shaving

Is bat shaving and bat rolling illegal? Our short answer is probably for rolling and flat out YES for shaving. There are some arguable exceptions and we discuss the reasoning behind our answer below. While there are a few sites that brazenly offer these services, most deals are found on eBay with... read more

Rawlings Buys Easton

When Wilson bought Slugger a few years back it made it on our most important bat developments of the decade. Not 11 months into the new decade, who would have thought the industry already accomplished something that will be easy to make the most important things in this decade: Rawlings... read more

2016 Easton MAKO TORQ Review: Performance Bat—But Still a Rotating Handle

We've spent at least 20 hours in the cage collectively with the MAKO TORQ brand of bats---including the BBCOR, Little League (youth) and Big Barrel versions of the bat. We've also seen the bat at the plate at least one hundred times and have spoken to nearly anyone we've seen... read more

Composite Wood Bats | What, Why, Youth, Vs Wood & Legality

We, baseball parents/players, live in a world of composite vs. alloy, USSSA vs. USA, USA vs. Wood, and the lists go on. There is typically little, if any, the discussion around composite wood bats. We change that here. What is a composite wood bat? Composite wood bats categorize a large... read more

Small Wood Bat Companies | Boutique Timber Bats

There are a lot of small wood bat companies. Of course, you have the usual suspects like Louisville Slugger, Marucci, Rawlings, and Sam. Newer guys, like Victus and Tucci, have hit the big time too. But there are also several small wood bat companies out there offering quality wood bats.... read more

Wood vs USA Bat

We've been asked more than a few times to compare the exit speeds of USA Bats and wood bats. We took up the challenge. Three different hitters of differing ability took over 300 swings with two competing bats. We measured the exit speeds on our Rapsodo device. Then, we compared to... read more

Wilson Glove Day

Very few "deal days" are actual "deal days." (ahem, Harbor Freight). If every day is a deal, how can any particular day be a deal? We digress. Wilson's Glove day is a beautiful exception. It's deal-day on, you guessed it, gloves. They run it one time a year on what... read more

Top 10 Bat Events of the Decade

We've been writing about baseball and fastpitch bats for a long time. Since everyone else seemed to be writing about the decade in review, we thought we could look through old emails, traffic reports, and links to see what were the most significant things in the last decade about bats.... read more

The Best DeMarini Voodoo Ever

We spent weeks scouring eBay, Sidelineswap and used good forums trying to track down every BBCOR DeMarini Voodoo ever made. They went back to 2011. Eventually, we were successful. (Although the 2019 Voodoo Insane in a 32" eludes us still). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F53P7TI_flI [toc] Method We acquired fourteen 32-inch DeMarini Voodoos from... read more

MLB Bat Throwing: The Grim Reaper Crowd Surfs

Bat throwing into the stands makes for some interesting photos. The one above most recently made famous by a boy who was more concerned about his clash of clans season then this fly Sam Bats baseball bat looked up just in time to open his mouth. Luckily, dad was there... read more

Perfect Game Day 2 Observations | Pitch Smart Rules

Our second day at the Perfect Game Series Classic brought on some highlights and lowlights. We learned that umpires are late no matter how expensive the tournament, Pitch Smart Rules are stringent and well thought out, and elite 11U pitchers throw about 62+ mph. We also observed that kids from... read more

Flat Seam vs Raised Seam Baseball | Did the NCAA Experiment Work?

A few years ago we discussed the effect of BBCOR bats on offensive performance. We found, as many did, the implementation of BBCOR standards pushed offensive performance to all time lows. We were not the only ones to notice. Starting in the 2015 season, the NCAA attempted to rectify this... read more

2017 CF Zen vs MAKO Beast | The Best Go Head to Head

Starting in at least 2014, the two most popular baseball bats on the market include the DeMairni CF and the Easton MAKO series. 2017's models introduce the Easton MAKO Beast and the DeMarini CF Zen. We have spent several hours hitting, reviewing and writing about both lines of bats. After significant research,... read more

The Longest, Shortest, Heaviest and Lightest Bats of the MLB

Under our Best At-Bats section, we compile data from auction houses on bat sizes of past and present greats. That aggregated data shows some insights worth sharing. In particular, the sheer range of bat size metrics from Major League players is something we always find interesting. From our work so far, we... read more

The Best Bat Lie

We’ve all seen the posts on the internet claiming which is the best bat in each category.  Usually this is referring to performance, which is what most players are concerned about and rightfully so.  While everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I’d like to look at this from a... read more

Market Update: Combat’s Death and Bat Industry Problems

At the end of October of 2016, Bauer Performance Sports Group, who acquired Combat Sports Group in 2013 and who also owns the Easton brand, stated they would be filing to restructure their debt under bankruptcy laws. PSG will continue to operate under a new debt structure as investors work... read more

Marucci Buys Victus Bats | More Acquisition in the Bat Space

Marucci Sports, a major player in the baseball bat space, announced today they have acquired Victus Sports. Victus, a mid level player in the pro-bat market who produced bats for Bryce Harper, among others, was the first wood bat company to license the asymmetric knob of Axe bats for use... read more

Breaking Bat: DeMarini’s CF Zen 2 3/4 Durability Questions

Any chat room or discussion group surrounding DeMarini's 2017 CF Zen in the 2 3/4 size contains at least one thread on its durability. Justbatreviews has received at least a dozen questions about the bat's durability. In short, at least when compared to other bats on the market, the CF... read more

DeMarini CF Zen vs Slugger 917 Prime | Head to Head

DeMarini's CF Zen and Slugger's 917 Prime are similar bats. We have hit with both bat lines extensively, spoken to manufacturers about the lineup at length and discussed the bats with parents and players alike. In the BBCOR space, we personally prefer the 917 for no other reason than it simply feels better to... read more

Marucci CAT 7 vs Easton MAKO Beast

What may be the two most popular bats this year in a number of baseball categories are the Marucci CAT 7 and the Easton MAKO Beast. Both bats come from respectable institutions with a history of producing great sticks. And although the bats compete for the same dollars, they are... read more

Easton Ghost X vs Rawlings Quatro | Exit Velo Data

We used our Rapsodo exit velocities to get a feel for how the Easton Ghost X matches up compared to the Rawlings Quatro in the USABat versions. This comparison of the 31-inch drop 10 bats found a slight, but not significant, advantage to the Ghost X. Below we explain several... read more

What Wood Would Wood Bats Be Made of, if Wood Bats Could Choose their Wood?

Wood bats have been around since the beginning of baseball---in fact, they were the beginning of baseball. Today, there are many different species of wood used to make bats. Each species has its benefits, lending it toward a specific hitter's needs. We have compiled information on some of the most... read more

Batting is Timing, Pitching is Disruptive Timing

Every successful hitter from Little League to the Major Leagues has three common traits. Good Mechanics Solid Mental Approach Good Timing These are the three pillars of great hitters.  Without even ONE of these traits, the hitter will struggle. As a former college and pro catcher, I needed to be... read more

The Type of BBCOR Bats Elite High School and College Players Use

I have been training baseball players since I was a pro player myself. Something like 30 years at this point and I’ve seen big changes in the Youth, High School and College games. Back in the day, we ALL played Little League and were forced to use the very specific... read more

Easton Ghost X vs DeMarini CF Zen | 11 Year Old Case Study

So you're trying to decide between a Ferrari and a Lamborghini? That's a difficult decision. The Easton Ghost X and the DeMarini CF Zen are the top of the line bats and their price tags reflect it. Of course, when we are spending that kind of money on a bat... read more

Why Is Coach Picking On Me?

Over my long playing career I played for all kinds of different coaches with various types of personalities. Many of them had their own way of “motivating” players to get the most out of their talent. The BEST coaches looked to develop the player’s talent regardless of the immediate results.... read more

3 Parts to Hit the Ball Harder—AND More Often | A Pro Player Guide

As I look back on my playing career, I realize that I was EXTREMELY lucky to be born into a baseball family where I was taught at an early age the proper fundamentals of the game—especially hitting. In this article, I will break down the three basic parts of the... read more

How To Steal Signs and Protect Yours

When I was in Little League around 9 years old, my dad, a former MLB catcher, was our coach—and he stole the other team’s signs EVERY game. He knew the obvious indicators like the bill of the cap or swiping both arms. But funny thing was—he didn’t tell us. He... read more

LXT vs XENO | Slugger’s Fastpitch Head to Head

One of the most popular fast pitch questions asks to explain the difference between the Louisville Slugger LXT and Xeno. Below is a head to head comparison. Why Choose the XENO over the LXT? Find this in Stock The XENO is, about, $50 less than the LXT due to the... read more

The Worst Bats Ever | How To Increase your ROE & Should You Rub Your Bat?

To go along with our best youth baseball bats, we thought it appropriate to make a list of the worst bats ever made. Forbid we leave out the other end of the spectrum! For reasons we explain below, each bat has its own path to the top---er, bottom---of the list.... read more

Cat 7 vs. Slugger 618 Solo vs. DeMarini Voodoo Balanced

Last weekend at a game, it was 38 degrees here in Northwest Ohio or as we call it "the start of Spring baseball." As we remember and learn every year, it is going to be cold the first month or so of our season. With the cold weather comes the... read more

After Watching 980 2018 College World Plate Appearances, Here Is What We Learned About BBCOR Bats

We watched just about every 2018 College World Series plate appearance. This includes all the games up to the finals (to be played this week between Arkansas and Oregon State) and amounts to 980 documented plate appearances. We marked what BBCOR bat they were using and a number of other metrics... read more

Does BBCOR Bat Rolling Work? Our Pre/Post Hitting Results

We measured the exit speeds of a BBCOR composite bat pre and post rolling. We found rolling did increase the bat's average exit velocity but not by much. In our focused test (one bat, one hitter, 20 measured exit speeds) we found an increase of 1 mile per hour and... read more

9 Best Places to Get Trading Pins

Designing the best team trading pin for your Cooperstown trip is no small task. It requires planning, organization and finding the right fit to represent your team. Below you will find: 5 quick and easy steps to walk you through the process of creating a dream pin for your Cooperstown... read more

8 Copperstown All Star Village Tips | Know Before You Go

Thinking of attending the Cooperstown All Star Village and want to know what to expect? You've come to the right place! One of our readers spent a week at the tournament and put together the most important Copperstown All-Star Village tips. These are 8 essential 'need to knows' before you... read more

No “Integrity” Earned from USA Bats

The finals of the LLWS are this weekend. The USA and International Championships are on Saturday. The finals are on Sunday. All via ABC. If you are just catching up, here are 7 things we've noticed after watching all 28 games leading up to this point. Consider this your primer... read more