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Our Top 8 BBCOR Bats of 2023
THE BAT BRO SCALE: Our rating system for BBCOR baseball bats. Due to BBCOR restrictions, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECT BAT. Between power, sweet spot, and swing weight, every bat is going to have to compromise in at least one category. To see our full list of BBCOR Bat Bro Scales, click here.
1) Rawlings Icon BBCOR
For the first time ever, we have a $500 composite bat at the top of our BBCOR rankings... it's a tough pill to swallow, but the Rawlings Icon has given us no choice.
After facing off against the Glowstick Quatro, Voodoo One, The Goods, CatX, and Atlas, the Icon has not lost a single exit velo test... and the sweet spot is massive. Needless to say, this is the best composite BBCOR we've ever swung.
Pros: HOT / huge sweet spot / great sound / smooth weighting
Cons: Handle is far too thin - put a .5mm grip over the stock Icon grip / very expensive / durability issues (endcap)
Wood Bat Turn Model Comparison: i13, mm13, ap5
2) Louisville Slugger Atlas BBCOR
JT's gamer!
You can think of the 2023 Atlas as a slightly heavier-swinging Voodoo One with a much bigger sweet spot. While it definitely doesn't look the part... this thing absolutely bangs. A massive upgrade from the Solo in our opinion, and legitimately reminiscent of the legendary Easton XL3 and Omaha 517.
Pros: powerful / easy to control / big sweet spot / great sound / great feel
Cons: durability issues (interior vibration dampener breaking loose)
Wood Bat Turn Model Comparison: mh17, mt27, t141
3) Louisville Slugger Select Pwr BBCOR
One of the biggest sweet spots in all of BBCOR. You can think of the Select Pwr as a lighter-swinging "The Goods" with a tiny bit less pop. The Select Pwr has an incredibly comfortable feel on contact and you'll immediately notice its unique composite-esque sound. This is one of the most popular bats in D1 college baseball - and for good reason.
Pros: incredible sweet spot / cool sound / good for any type of hitter / durable
Cons: Slightly lower exit velos than bats like the Atlas and the Goods.
Wood Bat Turn Model Comparison: i13, cb35, ap5
4) Warstic Bonesaber Hybrid BBCOR
The Bonesaber Hybrid fixed everything that was wrong with the rigid 1-piece Warstic Bonesaber.
This bat is surprisingly easy to swing (a "4" swing weight might even be a little harsh), the sweet spot is super forgiving, the tapered no-knob handle is FANTASTIC (although it does take some getting used to), and the exit velos are some of the best in BBCOR.
We still have a lot more content coming with this bat, and we're loving it even more every time we hit with it.
Wood Bat Turn Model Comparison: ws35, bbi13hd, Tatis23
5) Marucci CatX BBCOR
This is essentially Marucci's version of the Voodoo One - and it's shockingly similar. The primary difference we've noticed is that the CatX is a bit more forgiving than the Voodoo One, but the Voodoo One has a little bit more thump when it comes to exit velo.
In our opinion, this is the most unique "Cat" bat to-date, and in our opinion, the best BBCOR that Marucci has ever come out with.
Pros: excellent power for its swing weight / easy to control / great feel for a 1-pc / durable
Cons: expensive for a 1-pc alloy / very loud / small-ish sweet spot due to how light it is.
Wood Bat Turn Model Comparison: c271, Lindy12
6) DeMarini The Goods BBCOR
The Goods is probably the single most-loved bat in the game. One of the best sweet spots in BBCOR and the ball absolutely jumps off of this bat. The Goods is definitely more on the endloaded side, so it pairs well with stronger/advanced hitters.
The Goods would very possibly be our #1 or #2 ranked BBCOR bat if it wasn't for the durability issues. The 2-piece connection joint has been a liability over the last few years...
Pros: huge sweet spot / great feel / tons of pop
Cons: expensive / heavy / durability issues (telescoping handle)
Wood Bat Turn Model Comparison: c243, s318, ts28
7) DeMarini Voodoo One BBCOR
The Voodoo One has registered our highest exit velocities ever (107.9 mph), and it's one of the easiest swinging bats out there - a combo that is extremely hard to come by in the BBCOR space.
However, we've had to bump the Voodoo down in the ranking due to recurring durability issues with the knob of the bat.
Pros: excellent power for its swing weight / easy to control / great feel for a 1-pc
Cons: smaller sweet spot / durability issues (knob)
Wood Bat Turn Model Comparison: c271, Lindy12
8) Marucci CatX Connect BBCOR
Cam's gamer! We've called this bat the "Super Mario" of bats because it could really be used by any type of hitter. The swing weight is super light for a 2-pc hybrid, it has a very forgiving sweet spot, and it can put up some decent exit velos. This is probably the closest thing we've ever seen to a "2-pc hybrid contact-hitting bat".
It did get out-shined by the CatX 1-pc (ranked #2) and The Goods (ranked #5) in our initial review video, but this is legitimately one of the most versatile and well-rounded BBCOR bats on the market right now.
Pros: big sweet spot / easy to swing / fantastic handle & knob taper / durable
Cons: expensive / slightly lower exit velos than some more endloaded 2-pc hybrids
Wood Bat Turn Model Comparison: ra13, t141, mh17
Best BUDGET BBCOR Bats (under $200):
With such a restrictive performance standard like BBCOR, we've found that a lot of the cheapo bats are actually really solid. While these aren't the "best" bats on the market in our opinion, they're honestly not very far off from our Top 10 bats.
1) Marucci Cat6 BBCOR - $199
A BBCOR legend that is still being made and is available for only $200.
The Marucci Cat6 performs as good (if not better) than the more expensive 7/8/9 versions of the Marucci Cat BBCOR.
A moderate swing weight, very forgiving on the hands, and still puts up very impressive exit velos.
2) Combat B2 ATB BBCOR - $189
The Combat B2 ATB is actually a repaint of the 2020 Easton Maxum 360 (which won our 'Composite BBCOR Super Regional' last year).
This is currently the only good light-swinging BBCOR bat you can find for under $200 in our opinion.
Our Top 5 USSSA Bats of 2023
While there are some very hot alloy/aluminum USSSA bats out there this year, a good broken-in composite USSSA bat will usually outperform an alloy/aluminum USSSA bat (although that is not necessarily true when it comes to "BBCOR"). The primary benefit of swinging an alloy bat in USSSA is that they are more durable than their composite counterparts.
1) MARUCCI CATX COMPOSITE USSSA
The hottest bat in the game right now. The CatX Comp is durable, light swinging, and is responsible for our hardest and farthest hits this year (111 mph & 508 feet).
2-pc Composite | $400
BREAK-IN: ~200 swings recommended
DURABILITY: excellent
SWEET SPOT: tight/unforgiving at first, but it really comes to life when the barrel breaks-in.
SWING WEIGHT: balanced
2) 2024 EASTON HYPE FIRE USSSA
To pull from a quote in our review video of the Hype Fire: "This is the hottest bat in the history of USSSA... but this might also be one of the most fragile bats in USSSA."
This bat is indeed fire (like... we hit our highest exit velo ever at 120 mph exit velo), but don't expect it to last you multiple seasons.
2-pc Composite | $350
BREAK-IN: NONE for -5, ~100 for -8/-10.
DURABILITY: suspect - especially on -5
SWEET SPOT: Massive on the -5, but still pretty good on the -8 and -10.
SWING WEIGHT: slightly balanced
3) RAWLINGS ICON USSSA
Rawlings has made a huge comeback in USSSA with their new bat that is replacing the 'Quatro'. The Rawlings Icon is the only USSSA bat we've come across that can rival the Cat Composite in exit velocity. This also seems to be one of the more durable composite USSSA bats from what we've experienced so far.
2-pc Composite | $400
BREAK-IN: ~300 swings recommended
DURABILITY: solid
SWEET SPOT: A little bit unforgiving at first, but the barrel will open-up after you break it in properly.
SWING WEIGHT: slight endload on -5, very balanced on -8 & -10
PRO-TIP: Swap out the stock grip tape for a Lizard Skin 1.8mm grip and add a taper! Or you can also just add a 0.5mm grip directly over the stock grip.
4) DEMARINI CF USSSA
The DeMarini CF is one of the best-selling USSSA bats of all time - and for good reason... it is crazy hot and easily has the biggest sweet spot in all of USSSA. The only downside to the CF is the suspect durability we've seen over the past ~7 years.
2-pc Composite | $350
BREAK-IN: game ready
DURABILITY: suspect
SWEET SPOT: massive
SWING WEIGHT: slight endload
5) MARUCCI CAT8 USSSA
The best bang-for-your-buck in all of youth baseball.
With 4 composite bats already on this list, we've gotta show love to the most popular alloy USSSA bat of all time: the Marucci Cat8. Super easy to swing, huge sweet spot, relatively durable, affordable, and surprising hot for an alloy USSSA bat.
1-pc Alloy | $140 to $210
BREAK-IN: game ready
DURABILITY: excellent
SWEET SPOT: super impressive for an alloy bat
SWING WEIGHT: balanced
The Batting Gloves we use: BRUCE BOLTS
Since we started this channel, we've been among the voices saying "Who the heck would ever pay $100 for batting gloves??"
But in early 2021, a friend gave us our first pair of Bruce Bolts (white/red Bader long-cuffs)... and we've now been using the same pair for a year and a half 😂.
These are the most durable batting gloves we've ever come across, and their one of the few BG's we've found that handle sweat really well.
The Pine Tar we use: KRAKEN
This stuff is a lot like Tiger Stick, but we think it holds up better in hot weather, and the packaging makes it a lot easier to use/maintain. It's a bit spendy, but we freaking love it. Using really good grip/tar is one of the most underrated aspects in hitting.