Articles

Reviews: Best BBCOR Bats for 2014

by Cheapbats.com Staff

2014 BBCOR Bats

One Piece 2014 BBCOR Bat Reviews

2013 Easton S3 - The Easton S3 is an aluminum baseball bat designed with bat-control and quick bat speed in mind. This Easton is well balanced, makes the classic “ping” sound upon contact with the ball, and has very minimal vibration in the handle. An excellent BBCOR bat to purchase for a contact hitter, the Easton S3 is also a bargain being priced at just $199.95.
2013 Easton S4 - You’re basically looking at the Easton S3’s slightly smaller brother. One-piece, aluminum, balanced, this BBCOR bat differs from the S3 in that it has a 2-1/2” barrel. The Easton S3 has good pop, a lightweight feel for increased bat speed, and produces minimal vibration at the point of contact.
2013 Easton XL3 - A similar offering to the S3, the Easton XL3 is a one-piece aluminum BBCOR bat produced for the power hitter looking to drop some serious head through the zone. The 2013 XL3 has an extended barrel length, creating a more end-loaded feel to the bat. While it may take slightly more time to get the barrel through the zone, at the point of contact there is very little vibration and the ball jumps quickly off the bat.
2013 TPX Omaha Balanced - A true classic! The look of this TPX BBCOR bat may have changed over the years, but the reliability and on-field performance remain the same. For a one-piece aluminum bat, this TPX is very well balanced. Vibration is light/moderate when making contact outside of the sweet spot. At $199.95, you definitely get a lot of bang for your buck.
2013 TPX Exogrid 3 - This 2013 BBCOR bat offered by TPX has a solid feel from start to finish. The blend of composite and aluminum materials, as well as the added Louisville Slugger 1”-wide graphite band insertion in the barrel, offers players a BBCOR bat that is balanced, has a lightweight feel, and will leave your hands sting-free as you watch the vapor trails left behind ball.
2013 Rip-It Prototype Air BBCOR - What stands out most with the Prototype Air BBCOR is the size of the barrel. This thing is massive! That being said, there is great potential for line drives and extra base hits. With such a big barrel, this 2013 Rip-It bat is surprisingly well balanced. I found that it did take slightly more effort to get the bat through the zone, however; when on time with the pitch, this bat really had some great pop.
2013 Marucci Black 2 BBCOR - Still a best selling bat for us, we can't say enough good things about the feel this BBCOR bat has. There is no vibration at all. The Black 2 has tons of pop. The one flaw of this bat is Marucci calls it a Balanced bat in their advertising, but it is more mid-loaded to end loaded in reality. That is not a bad thing to be end loaded, it is a little confusing.
2013 Marucci Team BBCOR Bats - The one piece all aluminum alloy Team BBCOR bats from Marucci are nothing that is over the top special. The Team BBCOR is balanced, with a solid feel. There are better BBCORs out there, but at $199 the Marucci Team bats are priced right, as they perform about even with other $199 bats with the exception of the Demarini Vexxum BBCOR, which is just about equal with the $400 bats.

Two Piece 2013 BBCOR Bat Reviews

2013 Easton S1 BBCOR - This Easton BBCOR bat is at the top of it’s class. A two-piece composite BBCOR bat, the Easton S1 is evenly balanced, promoting very fast swing speeds and bat control without sacrificing performance. If you are a contact hitter looking to add a little extra zip on your batted balls, look no further!
2013 Easton S2 - Another solid BBCOR bat from Easton’s 2013 lineup. Part of Easton’s Speed Series, the S2 comes equipped with a composite handle and aluminum barrel. Bat weight has been distributed evenly throughout the barrel, and a minimized sweet spot allows for quicker bat speed and control.
2013 Easton XL2 - Come here big fella, I’ve got THE bat for you! One of the fine 2013 Easton BBCOR bats from their Power Brigade lineup, the XL2 has a slight end load with a large sweet spot waiting to make the baseball scream off the bat. No vibration at the point of contact allows the hitter to simply enjoy the pure power and soaring grace of the balls flying over the heads of the defense. Get one and get some!
2013 DeMarini Vexxum - I could barely speak with the huge grin I had on my face after swinging this beautifully crafted DeMarini BBCOR baseball bat. Don’t quote me on this, but I think 50 Cent somehow may have had a vision of the 2013 Vexxum in mind back when he wrote his song “Magic Stick.” It truly is just that! Constructed with a composite handle and aluminum barrel, the Vexxum is solid all the way through the point of contact. The sweet spot is big and beautiful, the ball explodes off the bat and leaves the hands vibration free! For $199.95, the DeMarini Vexxum really is a BBCOR bat you can’t afford to pass up.
2013 DeMarini Voodoo BBCOR - The Voodoo is another composite handle/aluminum barrel offering from DeMarini’s quality BBCOR bat collection. It has the same alloy barrel as the Vexxum but with a different composite material making up the handle. Look for the 2013 Voodoo to have an ever-so-slight load at the end of the barrel. At the point of contact there is minimal vibration in the handle, yet not enough to have to break out the kleenex box for Little Johnny's delicate hands.
2013 DeMarini CF5 BBCOR Bat - What’s that Shakira, the hips don’t lie!? Well in the case of DeMarini’s top model BBCOR baseball bat, the 2013 CF5 will be singing the tune of hits that don’t lie! This bat is perfectly balanced, allowing for a smooth and solid approach to the baseball before and after contact. Even if you’re playing in cooler conditions, I can’t imagine any player complaining about their hands hurting. Once the opposing position players see (and hear) the ball coming off the bat, look for them to be moving away from the path of your batted missile! Buy the DeMarini CF5, and take your game up, up and away to the next level, baby!
Marucci Elite BBCOR Bat - We have not yet swung the Elite BBCOR for 2013. This bat is so new we are still waiting on a demo.