There was a conversation between some pros the other day about the best BBCOR bats that they used to mash with. It was interesting and funny to hear them argue about it. What were the best bats when your kids played?
My son has only been using BBCOR for a couple years, but during that time I’d say the 2019 red Meta has been the best. Although the Demarini The Goods may take its place.
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There were so many, the stealth was a great bat, the voodoo was another. The S1 was also a great bat back in the day.
Not quite scientific, my kid has a 33 in LS Omaha, 34 Axe elite and the 2013 Easton S1 33 in. The max EV on the S1 was about 3 mph more and the avg EV was about the same as the 34 in Axe. This was using the pocket radar.
The best bat is when the arrow is optimized for the Indian. Your big power hitters are typically going to get the most out of their swing with a stiff end loaded bat. Everyone else should swing the red Meta😁
PTWoodson swings a Easton xl3 (34) but I wouldn’t say it’s his favorite of all time. He actually likes swinging wood!
BBCOR started the year my son hit college. It was interesting to see plenty of college recruits fail their first year. I would have thought they got enough hitting challenge with wood in the summer. As for best BBCOR bat my son was faced with, “We use DiMarinis. Love it or don’t play.” He had never liked the balance of the DiMarinis. He used an ExoGrid through high school.
One of his travel teammates got suspended over his glove at his college. He sewed the brand of the sponsored glove over the logo on his glove he liked and got caught. Equipment sponsorship is serious stuff with the colleges. It’s beaucoup bucks to the school and the coach.
My son swears by one of the cheapest bats out there, Rawlings 5150...he mashes with it. He hates all 2 piece bats.
The correct answer is the grey and yellow Easton XL3 from around 2015. It’s still used by some college players today and it’s the bat that has tested above the limit more than any other. At the SEC tourney in 2017 there were barrels of them that were removed from competition.
My sons loved those2014-16 Eastons ! Just the Metal ones, not the composites.
The Rawlings Velos swing really well, too, and have been more or less the same for years, since about 2014, if not earlier. Nice bats for line drive hitters. Not so much for sluggers.
i bought my son a cat7 when they first came out and he’s never looked back since. That bat has thousands of swings in it and still gets the job done. Think it was right around $200. If I had to buy him a new bat that would be a good fit for him I’d go with the Stinger Nuke.
I personally like the “ping” sound with the cat7...some people don’t. It can get pretty loud especially in an indoor facility.
How about the -5 orange xl1 i believe it was when they were like 13 or so? Most boys on every team in every major tournament had one and they were HOT!! The bbcor version wasn't so great however
@TerribleBPthrower posted:How long has he been hitting that Rawlings? I’m trying to find a place around here where my son can demo some one piece bats. I imagine he’d get a little more feel similar to the wood bat compared to no feel with the 2 piece.
He's been swinging the 5150 since HS, with the exception of one year he went with Marucci Cat (also excellent bat). He's now going to be a soph in college and still swinging 5150. Thats what he likes about it...the feel & feedback. Hates the noodle / no feel of 2 piece bats.
I thought that was the point of the BBCOR standard, that there wouldn't be a "best" bat. I guess maybe a bigger sweet spot, and maybe some bats didn't butt up against the standard. I know the kid said the Rawlings bats he had to use his first year of college were "dead".
@SomeBaseballDad posted:I thought that was the point of the BBCOR standard, that there wouldn't be a "best" bat. I guess maybe a bigger sweet spot, and maybe some bats didn't butt up against the standard. I know the kid said the Rawlings bats he had to use his first year of college were "dead".
Not sure how long ago that was but the 1st & 2nd year of BBCOR the bats were like hitting with a wet newspaper.
The old white Easton XL1! I think it was the first version of the XL1. It is a rocket launcher. But the issue is that they don't last. The barrel wobble is so common with these bats. We have had 4 of them in the past year and a half. 3 of them ended up with the wobble. I am just waiting on the last one we have to have the same issue. We played mostly wood tournaments this summer. Our last tournament was metal bats. I brought the XL1 to batting practice and the kids were shocked by the bat. Half the team ended up using it in the game.
I also still think the black/yellow Easton S1 is an all time great.
For most recent bats:
The Goods
Red Meta Prime
Blue Meta
Rawlings Quatro (green barrel with black handle and the all black version)
As you can tell, my son likes swinging 2 or 3 piece bats.
@TerribleBPthrower posted:@ARCEKU21 is the black and yellow an S3 or an S1? I can get an S1 for $40 in great shape.
The S1 is a composite bat, the S3 aluminium. Both black and yellow.
@SoCal OG posted:He's been swinging the 5150 since HS, with the exception of one year he went with Marucci Cat (also excellent bat). He's now going to be a soph in college and still swinging 5150. Thats what he likes about it...the feel & feedback. Hates the noodle / no feel of 2 piece bats.
My boys tried the 5150(Dad loved the price), but the Velo felt less clunky to them. Same idea, though. Feels more like an Ash bat, though nothing feels quite like that. I find even the Maple bats don't give that much feedback.
@57special posted:My boys tried the 5150(Dad loved the price), but the Velo felt less clunky to them. Same idea, though. Feels more like an Ash bat, though nothing feels quite like that. I find even the Maple bats don't give that much feedback.
Velo is good too. My son just preferred the extra heft of the 5150. His favorite part is laughing at the guys who have $400 bats but still cant hit the ball as hard as his $150 bat.
Has anyone gotten any feedback on the Green Easton. My son sent a video of it after hearing about it from “back in the day”. I watched that video and reminisced for an hour. If they would start making the Black Magic again, I’d buy it and go hit a few rounds with him.
