Disclaimer: This site uses affiliate links. Learn More.
Disclaimer: This site uses affiliate links. Learn More.
By Bat Digest | Last Updated August 3, 2022
The 2021 Rawlings Mantra is a two-piece composite bat with a big barrel and light swing. It is Rawling’s latest and greatest and replaces the Quatro in its line of top-shelf fastpitch bats. The biggest change is the slot in the knob which fits the Diamond Kinetics Blast motion sensor. The $399 new in wrapper price makes it the highest-priced Rawlings fastpitch bat ever.
Our hitters like the big barrel, great feel and sound on the Rawlings Mantra. The drop 10 is a good a fit for the top of the order on a high school team or the 3/4 spot on a smaller travel team. Big hitters might like something with a little more oomph like the Easton Ghost, but the drop 9 in a longer size packs enough of a punch to make due. Players liked the smooth feel and the slot for the diamond kinetics sensor.
The fastpitch bat space is ridiculously competitive. It is very difficult to tell any functional difference between the different brands and models as most are lighter swinging, big-barreled two-piece composite bats with a moderately flexible connecting piece. That said, the unique feature on the Rawlings Mantra is the slot for the DK sensor–if you want/need that then it’s a great pick. Otherwise, the LXT at $20 less is attractive. Still, though, if you don’t want the LXT and don’t want the heavy and short lived swing of the Eaton Ghost, then the Rawlings Mantra looks better than all of them.
| 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| MOI | Tech | Drb | Flx | Prof | ReSl | PlaRa | ExVe | Relv | Dmnd |
|---|
| 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| MOI | Tech | Drb | Flx | Prof | ReSl | PlaRa | ExVe | Relv | Dmnd |
|---|
We think the most comparable bat to the 2021 Rawlings Mantra is the 2021 DeMarini Prism. Both have the same price point, drops, and come with the premium idea that the companies have figured a way to be better than the Quatro Pro and LXT respectively. The Mantra represents the new generation of fastpitch bats meant to push the boundaries of what we can imagine is possible with a fastpitch bat.
2021 is the first year of the Mantra. There is no bat to compare it to. That said, the 2021 Mantra has been changed from the 2020 Rawlings Quatro in many ways. Basically, everything is redesigned. There is a new end cap, new barrel construction, new connecting piece, and handle.
Like most high end fastpitch bats, at its core the 2021 Rawilngs Mantra is a two piece composite bat with a light swing and a big barrel. Specific to the Mantra is the first fastpich knob built for a DK attachment. The barrel is redesigned over the Quatro to use a “mutli-step” inner barre instead of the floating inner barrel which was on the Quatro. Lizard skin grips are new, the end cap is new and the connection piece has been redesigned.
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.
Just Bat Reviews, LLC DBA Bat Digest participate in affiliate marketing programs including but not limited to Amazon and eBay. We most likely earn a comission from companies we link to on this site.
© 2023. Just Bat Reviews, LLC DBA Bat Digest Company.