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By Bat Digest | Last Updated November 7, 2022
For 2023, DeMarini releases a 5th iteration of the Prism fastpitch line. The bat hasn’t changed much from its release as a D-Lab bat for 2019. The bat is a light swing and made for that hitter who wants as much barrel per swing weight as possible. It’s now second fiddle to DeMarini’s new Whisper bat, but we think this is just as good and $50 less.
We’ve tested so many fastpitch bats since 2018 and we find DeMarini’s 2023 Prism+ among the best. It only comes in two sizes (the drop 11 and 10) and we’d really like to see them expand the line before they move on to the 2023 Whisper series. But, since it’s such a light swing, it seems the drop 8 and 9 will never be in its future. In any case, these are great bats that get great reviews and smaller hitters absolutely love it.
Smaller hitters who want as much plate coverage as possible and an ultra-flexible feel should really like the Prism. It doesn’t swing as heavy as a bat like the Easton Ghost nor is it as stiff as a bat like the LXT (which is pretty flexible). The Prism’s most unique feature, we believe, is the flexible connection piece. Every hit really does feel good–even off the end cap. If you can barrel it up, expect to hit it well.
| 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| MOI | Tech | Drb | Flx | Prof | ReSl | PlaRa | ExVe | Relv | Dmnd |
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| 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| MOI | Tech | Drb | Flx | Prof | ReSl | PlaRa | ExVe | Relv | Dmnd |
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Louisville Sluggers 2023 LXT is a reasonable comparison in terms of construction. Our sense is DeMarini was trying to recreate the success of the LXT with the Prism. But, no doubt, the market has more than a few excellent two-piece composite bats for the fastpitch world.
Compared to the 2022 version of the Prism, there are no changes in the bat at all other than the paint job. It uses its “Gapped Wall Barrell” with a “Paraflex Composite,” and a “Reaction” end cap—just like the 2022 version.
The DeMarini Prism for 2023 comes in a drop 11 or 10, has a balanced feel, and is a two-piece full composite fastpitch bat. It uses a double barrel design to help pass the test but still has a big bounce with lower impact speeds. Hence, it works for younger and smaller players. It’s a light bat built for hitters that want as much bat speed as possible.
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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