With all the bats available, I’m curious what is the most popular bat type on your teams? Also, what was your general bat progression through the HS years? I realize that bay type or brand is a personal choice, but just curious. Mine swung end loaded bats through youth but moved to a more balanced bat when he went to BBCOR.
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2024 has always swung a balanced bat for BBCOR. Did move up to a '33 this year after swinging a '32 for the past two years. He swears it is not too big (he is not big) and seems to be hitting the ball the same. He has good oppo power and I thought perhaps the '32 might help him start a little more pull power, but I think oppo is simply his swing approach. The'33 is DeMarini Voodoo - had to personalize as there are 4-5 other kids swinging the exact same bat.
He enjoys the summer wood bat experience and has not talked about mving to a '33. If his current '32 ever bites the dust, I will be interested in whether he does move up or stick with the '32 for this summer.
Voodoo 1 Demarini - one piece bat. My unofficial survey of travel, high school, and many college games is it may be the most popular bat. Outstanding weight distribution enabling bat speed. They had a defect with the knobs coming off which happened to my grandsons bat last summer. They replaced it on warranty. I believe they have solved that problem on this year’s model (gold color) versus prior years red color. Demarini also makes a bat called the Goods which is an end loaded bat. Probably can hit the ball a bit farther with this bat but it is too much to swing for younger players. I would only recommend this bat for the strongest of high school and college players. Bat bro’s on YouTube is a good place to see performance of many of these bats.
For my 2023, his freshman year he swung the first red LS Meta Prime, 32/29. His sophomore year he used the original black Demarini The Goods, 32/29. Junior year he switched to the red LS Select PWR 33/30. He is swinging that bat again for his senior year.
Be careful with the Demarini Voodoo One. They have a known issue with the knobs breaking off, it's still an issue with the new 23' version. Just happened to my 2024 son last week, knob cracked clean off during a routine BP swing in the cage. No warranty, he inherited the bat from his buddy who was made a PO. It was over a year old despite not being used much.
He's now back to using The Goods 2-piece.
Son is still swinging the NOX. Went from a 32 to a 33 this year.
Sadly, from what I have seen online the endcaps are breaking off the Voodoo Golds too.
I have seen a number of players switch from the Voodoo to the CATX or Alpha due to the Demarini reliability problems.
My 2024 loves the stinger nuke and the warstick but always seems to come back to the goods 2pc 33"
947 - if the bat you mention is over a year old, I don’t see how it could be a ‘23 version. I don’t believe the Voodoo Golds came out until late last summer or early fall.
Summer travel:
Tucci 271 Maple Pro Limited
High School (bbcor):
2018 Axe Hyperwhip (inherited)
2021 StringKing Metal
2020 Rawlings 5150 (inherited)
Hasn't made a game bat choice on the bbcor aluminum yet. Says they all hit the same. Partial to the Axe handle, but not a must. Grew out of Voodoo One he had used, wont' let me buy a new bat for him, says what he's inherited is enough, and I quote, "It's the hitter, not the bat, Dad". He's my budget kid, never wants anything new, or if he needs something, he rummages through the bargain bin.
PS. the Tucci is because I won't skimp on Wood and I'm sad they sold out to a big company to expand, I wonder if they'll hand pick their billets anymore when you order pro stock online (if they ever get back online), so sad. The Voodoo was demo day bargain, bought before it was a popular bat and went up in price by $150; a 2020 I think, the year before the cap and knob issues started, it made it through 2 seasons.
@ClevelandDad posted:947 - if the bat you mention is over a year old, I don’t see how it could be a ‘23 version. I don’t believe the Voodoo Golds came out until late last summer or early fall.
It's not a 23' Voodoo One, but those are reported to still have the same knob issue. The red version & the newer gold version are the exact same bat with different paint jobs.
@947 posted:It's not a 23' Voodoo One, but those are reported to still have the same knob issue. The red version & the newer gold version are the exact same bat with different paint jobs.
It is more than that. I googled Voodoo One Gold Bat knob issue and a good blog post came up explaining the issue clearly:
https://betterbaseball.com/blog/voodoo-one-durability
Beyond that, when my grandson got his replacement bat last summer, the end cap was different and the knob did seem to be reinforced over the old version of the bat. They sent us back a red bat but I believe they gave us the new 23 version as a replacement. Then in the fall, a parent called Demarini, and they told them they were aware of the two issues (end cap, and knob), and they would be fixed in the '23 gold version. Thus, they went ahead and bought the gold version last fall. As a point of reference, with respect to my grandson's replacement bat, I am sure he has hit several thousand baseball's by now and the end cap is still intact. On the original bat, the end cap began to chip off almost immediately.
Here's the thing. That bat is an excellent performance bat. Assuming someone buys one and the knob comes off, a replacement can be had with Demarini. Yes, there are some shipping costs and it takes about 10 days for the new one to get back to you.
@ClevelandDad posted:Bat bro’s on YouTube is a good place to see performance of many of these bats.
I use to watch them regularly. Good stuff for sure. They have a website that has a regularly updated list. Was looking at that when I decided to ask here. They have a LS on top now.
@TexasLefty posted:I use to watch them regularly. Good stuff for sure. They have a website that has a regularly updated list. Was looking at that when I decided to ask here. They have a LS on top now.
Good tip. https://baseballbatbros.com/
Didn't realize they had a website. The top four bats listed are Louisville Slugger, CATX, The Goods, and Voodoo One. It's like splitting hairs picking between them. The main negative they had on Voodoo was the durability issue. See my comments above regarding that.
Senior year...the Voodoo One from two years back. No issues. Last year it was end cap. This year seems knob. Either way, the website in the prior post is a good resource. Excellent videos lately.
@James Wilkins posted:..the Voodoo One from two years back.
Same bat here. No issues.
This thread makes me glad my son is a PO.
The boy is now swinging a CATX, had two Voodoo One's break at the handle and he's done with them.
Do you remember the Green strip Easton? Our 1st Summer travel team, I bought one team bat a 33".
At the end of the season [30 games], the bat had "fatigue" cracks and I returned it for a new bat.
Bob
First, I want to be clear I’m not mocking the original post. It is interesting to see player’s bat preference. But, don’t get caught up in it. I shake my head when I hear a kid had problems in a game because he didn’t have his bat.
I was playing college ball when metal bats became available. They were terrible. Players didn’t have individual bats. Players used whatever wood bats were in the bat bag. Someone else broke the bat you liked? Tough luck until it’s replaced.
When I was younger in pick up games we used whatever bat we had that wasn’t broken. Sometimes they had nails and tape holding them together until the next time someone’s dad got them to the local mom and pop sporting goods store. If the bat was too big and too heavy … not uncommon if you were the little kid good enough to play with the bigger kids … you choked up as much as necessary. I didn’t develop bat drag sometimes using a bat that was too heavy. I got stronger and quicker.
In middle school and high school my son used EXOgrids. He liked them because they seemed to have the same balance as the LS Model 243 wood bats he used in the summer. If there was a bat he really didn’t like it was DeMarinis.
Then, he got to college ball. Guess what is the most used bat in college ball. A player can’t use something other than what is provided. There are big money endorsement deals on the table at major universities. My son started using DeMarini bats and never gave it another thought.
Son is a Soph. Has been swinging a Nuke for the last 2 years(33/30), and hit very well with it(best OPS on the team). For Christmas he got a new Stinger Missile 34/31 in anticipation of higher velo pitches, but hasn't used it in a game yet. No issues with the integrity of the Nuke. We will have to see about the Missile(the 33 was banned last year).
Personally I think all HS and College games should be mandatory wood bats. That out of the way...
We are complete ebay bat monkeys! An embarrassing number of BBCOR bats bc it's a little fun honestly. 2023 swung a Demarini Voodoo one last year. (Has a spare because, as noted, they are total eggs.) 2025 has a bunch which, as a primary pitcher, he swings with completely random and streaky effectiveness.
Bigger question is the correct bat size. 2023 has 32's; he's 5ft 9, been messing around with a 33in this winter. Personally I think he barrels more balls with the 32 but he feels like he "needs" to swing a 33 given his supposed skill level. I do think the EV is higher with the 33.
agree with RJM. I don't get it about specific bats. my 2023 is very picky and specific. Spent a lot of money buying him bats. My 2027 can care less. He just swings whatever I buy him.
my 2023 is swinging a 2021 the goods and a 2023 meta prime . my 2027 is swinging a 2022 the goods (needs a bbcor to play up with the freshman.)
2022 33/30 The Goods. My son likes the end loaded bats more. He swings a Victus Tatis wood bat in the summer.
Son loves his 2022 VooDoo One, although it is definitely a glass bat. 
The end cap they started using after the initial problems in 2022 is different and seems somewhat more durable.
I’ll add that my 2026 swung a 32 bbcor voodoo in the spring and summer and moved to a 33 voodoo bbcor this fall. He loves the bat. Swing mechanics for another thread, but I’ll share that he was not hitting very well in the spring and summer. Simplifying this, but hhis hitting coach had him just relax and it has already made a huge difference.
I’m in the camp that you should be able to get similar results from similar bars regardless of price. But it’s like Christmas for me too multiple times per year to buy some gear for him. He never asks, but I do love it. He’s the shrewd one, which will be good in the long run for him 😁
Marucci Black 34" - Oh wait, that was in 2014...
I wasn't happy about the cost of equipment, but I miss checking out bats and gloves from the youth through HS stages.
This thread brings back a lot of memories. After going thru this process years ago my biggest takeaway, after the fact, is that it’s the Indian - not the arrow. A good hitter can hit with almost any bat.
@JucoDad posted:Marucci Black 34" - Oh wait, that was in 2014...
I wasn't happy about the cost of equipment, but I miss checking out bats and gloves from the youth through HS stages.
whadup whadup. That's what I'm saying. There's a lot of fun in talking gear with the sons. The pitcher talks about the different leathers in gloves. So I read up on japanese kip a bit. But I like talking bats more.
I watched my son's high school team practice last weekend, and it looked like the two bats that everyone was using was the Louisville Slugger Meta (the lime green one, I guess that is 2023) and the CatX by Marucci.
So just when I thought my 2023 was set on using his LS Select PWR from last season, he comes home with a Warstic Bonesaber. Apparently Warstic sent the high school team a handful of bats to demo and coach told him to take this one home to use when we go hit in the evenings. So he was using both last night during BP. He has never been a fan of one piece bats (he hated the Voodoo One). I think he still goes back to the Select PWR which he had good success with last season.
I don't mean to deviate from the "bats" part of this thread, but..... Son(16year old), does BP against a machine throwing 80+, several times each week. Miss hits, sting like crazy, but he doesn't complain. Still, i'm wondering if there is any equipment out there that's recommended to reduce sting? Thumb Guard? Driveline "soft" machine pitch balls? Double wrapping bats?
Any suggestions?
@Adams Baseball posted:I don't mean to deviate from the "bats" part of this thread, but..... Son(16year old), does BP against a machine throwing 80+, several times each week. Miss hits, sting like crazy, but he doesn't complain. Still, i'm wondering if there is any equipment out there that's recommended to reduce sting? Thumb Guard? Driveline "soft" machine pitch balls? Double wrapping bats?
Any suggestions?
Don’t get fisted.
@Adams Baseball posted:I don't mean to deviate from the "bats" part of this thread, but..... Son(16year old), does BP against a machine throwing 80+, several times each week. Miss hits, sting like crazy, but he doesn't complain. Still, i'm wondering if there is any equipment out there that's recommended to reduce sting? Thumb Guard? Driveline "soft" machine pitch balls? Double wrapping bats?
Any suggestions?
yellow dimples or real balls? If dimples, I'd just swing the crappiest bat I had.
Real balls: two piece composite bats will absorb the best. Then the alloy barrel/composite handle ones. Marucci's knob dampening system is tits. Maybe try popping on one of those rubber knob covers from little league days.
I don't think I'd double wrap a bat; too much squishiness messes up barrel accuracy.
I've always wondering why an engineer hasn't designed some sort of piezoelectric dampening system like what some skis and snowboards have.
Hey Arcy, can I get a Bonesaber report from your son later. I'm loving torturing adbono by prolonging this thread btw.
@Dadbelly2023 posted:Hey Arcy, can I get a Bonesaber report from your son later. I'm loving torturing adbono by prolonging this thread btw.
My 24' has a Bonesaber he used freshman year, and now my 26' is trying it out. It has great pop, and the tapered knob helps it whip through the zone. The sweet spot is pretty small compared to the more popular 1-piece alloys. They just came out with a 2-piece version, which is supposed to have a better sweet spot, have not seen one yet. Baseball Bat Bros have multiple Bonesaber vids out there.
@Adams Baseball posted:I don't mean to deviate from the "bats" part of this thread, but..... Son(16year old), does BP against a machine throwing 80+, several times each week. Miss hits, sting like crazy, but he doesn't complain. Still, i'm wondering if there is any equipment out there that's recommended to reduce sting? Thumb Guard? Driveline "soft" machine pitch balls? Double wrapping bats?
Any suggestions?
Driveline Baseball Smash Factor Balls. I've been feeding these to my son over the last few weeks...hands don't get beat up nearly as much compared to regular balls.
Son has been swinging wood (LS C271) all winter. Will switch to BBCOR LS Omaha 517 next week.
@Dadbelly2023 posted:Hey Arcy, can I get a Bonesaber report from your son later. I'm loving torturing adbono by prolonging this thread btw.
Ha! No torture until the comments about exit velocity enter the conversation
Kid was been through some bats. But, all bats considered, the one he kept going back to and had a lot of success with was the 2018 Louisville Slugger Solo 618. Can't use it anymore because he's in college and it's white. Don't know why they have now discontinued the Solo? But, FWIW, there seems to be some buzz on the 23 Atlas.
