If you have searched the bat market at all in the last 10 years you might have noticed an influx of new manufacturers with product on the shelf
. This is a great thing for consumers. Certain companies are excelling in markets like youth bats and or fastpitch bats while others are dominating the bbcor bats market or the slowpitch bats market. The key is to know who excels in which areas. Hopefully I can help.
Youth Bats:
The youth baseball bats market is the deep end of the bat pool due to such a huge number of little league players across the US and the world. The two companies I see doing big things for little league at the moment are Easton youth and Anderson youth bats. Easton has been a big name for several decades now while Anderson is much younger. Both of these companies have fun new bats that are causing quite a stir. Featured prominently in the Little League World Series tournaments the Easton Power Brigade series (S1 and XL1) and the Anderson Nanotek and Techzilla youth bats are dominators at the plate.
Fastpitch Bats:
Fastpitch softball is a hugely competitive market. These girls are intense players that will do anything for an edge on the competition. Anderson fastpitch bats and Easton fastpitch bats dominate this market just as they do with youth bats. The Easton Stealth line has a grip of loyal users that swear by its pop and swing control year after year. The Biggest bat in the fastpitch bats market belongs to Anderson Bat Company. The legendary Anderson Rocketech is a (-9) end loaded double wall bat that is known for power. Since 2005 the Rocketech has been blowing minds and NEVER fails to be the most powerful of the fastpitch bats.
BBCOR bats:
Due to new regulations all high school and college players must swing BBCOR bats. BBCOR bats must pass pop and weight regulations to get the BBCOR stamp for use. The hottest BBCOR bats on the market now are the Cat5 by Marucci and the Rip-It Prototype. These bats have been lighting up fields harder than any other BBCOR bats on the market so far. Being that BBCOR is so new I do anticipate that there will be many more top choices to come in the near future as the technology is mastered. As a brief side not, the Louisville Slugger Z1000 has also garnished some good reviews from players and coaches alike.
Slowpitch bats:
Slowpitch bats are typically about one thing power. The ball is coming so slow that bat speed isnt as important as pop. The slowpitch bats with the most pop have been the Worth 454 and the Easton Salvo. These bats have proven pop and longevity that keep players coming back for them. Anderson slowpitch bats have started making a nice push with a high end Nanotek and for the local recreational leagues, the Ignite fast pitch bat.
There are many bats to choose from in this crazy new bat buying world. I hope that I have helped shed some light on a some of the top performing products of the last few years. A simple online search of the bat names I have listed will lead you to more detailed info on each product. I wish you all good luck and look forward to seeing you on the diamond.