The best BBCOR bat is the BBCOR bat that best suits YOU. There are plenty of BBCOR bats that absolutely crush the ball. The difference is some are heavy/end loaded, some are balanced. Some BBCOR bats are buttery smooth and swing like a dream, some will sting your hands. Here are our favorite BBCOR Bats for this year and why.
Best BBCOR Bats 2018
2018 Easton Beast X Speed BBCOR Bat – Balanced and easy to swing, the new one piece, all metal alloy BBCOR bat is by far the best seller of all 2018 BBCOR bats. There is no vibration, a large sweet spot, and great pop off the barrel make the Beast X Speed a top choice. Another major plus is the price tag of $199. (If you’re a Slugger fan, see the 2018 Louisville Slugger 518 BBCOR as it is very similar)
2018 Rawlings Quatro BBCOR Bat – We told Rawlings a couple of years ago that the Quatro is the best bat nobody is swinging. At the time of writing, the 2018 Quatro BBCOR is not even among the top 20 best selling BBCOR Bats. Rawlings is, and has been a major player in the high end bat business, and 2018 is no different. The pop is out of this world, seriously, it’s just ridiculous. The Quatro is extremely balanced, and the feel is smooth. You will not feel a bit of vibration with the Quatro. For the all around player, the 2018 Rawlings Quatro BBCOR is an excellent choice. Very expensive at $399. You could buy two Easton Beast X BBCOR bats for the price of one Quatro.
2018 Louisville Slugger Solo 618 BBCOR Bat – Ultra balanced. Zero vibration. Extremely versatile. The Solo 618 BBCOR is available in 29″/26 ounce all the way up to 34″/31 ounce. We were able to flick the Solo 618 around with ease. Usually lighter, one piece bats tend to have vibration, but the Solo 618 is super smooth. Add the fact that the pop is a 10 out of 10 on our scale, and you have one of the most enjoyable and rewarding BBCOR bats of the year. Currently selling for $299.
Best BBCOR Bats 2017
Marucci Cat 6 – The Cat 6 is the successor to the Cat 5 and the Marucci Black. It is a one piece, all aluminum alloy bat with good balance, little vibration, thin walls, and great pop. No nonsense. Just performance. It seems like $199 is the sweet spot for BBCOR sales. With bats this good at $199 there is zero reason to spend more, unless you want to, but you won’t be getting much more (if anything) for the extra money.
Easton Z-Core Whiteout – Like the Cat 6 above, the 2017 Easton Z-Core is a one piece aluminum bat with good balance and no vibration. This bat is exactly the same as the black Z-Core, but was initially put out as a ‘limited edition’ model. Also sells for $199
Maruicci Cat 7 – Similar to the Cat 6, the Cat 7 is again, a one piece, all aluminum BBCOR bat (seeing a trend here?). The difference, and why it sells for $249, is the inner walls of the barrel have been ‘fine tuned’ to enlarge the sweet spot to twice the size of the Cat 6 sweet spot, as well as a knob built to help dampen any vibration on mis-hits. Marucci models their BBCOR bats after the wood bat ‘cuts’ they make for the pros. Great balance. Outstanding performance. Added comfort compared to the Cat 6. The Cat 7 is bound to be at the top of this list soon.
Louisville Slugger Omaha 517 – I’m not making this up, this is really the fourth best selling BBCOR bat for 2017. The Omaha is, again, a one piece, all aluminum bat that is balanced and sells for $199. The bat makers would LOVE to have you spend $399 or $449 for their composite bats because they make 2 to 3 times the profit, but the hitters know there is no need to spend that much.
Louisville Slugger Prime 917 – Finally a composite BBCOR bat. What will you get from a $399 bat vs a $199 bat? A slightly larger sweet spot, possibly a faster swing speed (depending on the bat). I really like this bat. I have been saying for 4 years the Prime is my favorite BBCOR bat, and while I love the Prime, if I had to spend my own money on a bat I would buy one of the bats above and save $200.
See what I said about $199 bats? There is absolutely no reason to spend more than $199 on a BBCOR bat to get the best performance.