2021 Bat Guide: Vol. 1- Marucci Lineup

Introduction

In the last couple of years, Marucci has made a lot of noise in the baseball bat industry. Marucci was started in a garage by two former Major Leaguers and their athletic trainer in 2004. Initially, their focus was to create the best maple wood bat on the market. They achieved this goal by being the most popular bat brand in MLB today. However, in 2009 they chose to expand their offering to the metal bat category. Marucci's main emphasis in this category was to offer the strongest alloy metal bat on the market. Eleven years later, Marucci has managed to obtain a significant share in the metal baseball bat market. Their evolution of the CAT series has created a reputation for being a well-balanced one-piece alloy bat, offered at all age levels. In 2017, they began to provide hybrid (half alloy, half composite) bats as well. Last year's hybrid model was the CAT8 Connect.

At Burghardt's, the CAT8 and CAT8 Connect became some of the most popular bats offered in the 2020 lineup. The CAT8 was Burghardt's most sold bat in the USSSA models! For a long time, full composite metal bats have been the most dominant at all age levels, but Marucci has shown great value going against the grain and focusing on producing the best alloy bat on the market. As the new 2021 bats begin to be released, let's take a deep dive into Marucci's new lineup of bats and compare them to their predecessors.

CAT9

The CAT9 is Marruci's 2021 one-piece alloy bat. This version of the CAT series offers a new AZR alloy. This new barrel will create a better feel and forgiveness than the CAT8, and the new alloy will make the CAT9 the most durable alloy bat that Marucci has made so far. The barrel is designed with multi-variable walls, which creates an expanded sweet spot and a more forgiving barrel for off-centered contact. The CAT8 also had this multi-variable wall barrel design.

Another critical component to the CAT9 is the 2nd Generation AV2 anti-vibration knob. This advanced dampening system helps create a better feel by limiting negative vibrational feedback to the bat's handle. The AV2 knob also shifts 2 ounces below the hands. Having two ounces of the bat's weight below the hands allows the bat to swing lighter and give the hitter more control. The CAT8 also has this AV2 knob, so this part of the bat hasn't changed from last year's model.

Specifically, for the BBCOR version of the CAT9, Marucci has introduced a new Longitudinal Groove System (LGS) in the barrel of the (-3) bat. This new system is a set of grooves inside the barrel that runs longitudinally across the barrel's thickest wall section to allow for specific weight relocation and more flexibility at the sweet spot.

To Sum Up

The CAT9 offers a new, improved alloy that advances the feel and forgiveness of the CAT8. Additionally, the BBCOR model introduces the new Longitudinal Groove System to help set their barrel apart from their composite competitors.

CAT9 Connect

Marucci's 2021 hybrid model, the CAT9 Connect, also has the new AZR alloy. This hybrid bat has more of an end-loaded feel (higher proportion of weight located at the end of the barrel) than the earlier mentioned CAT9. For this reason, the CAT9 Connect is more targeted for power hitters. Besides the upgraded alloy barrel, the main difference between the CAT9 Connect and last year's CAT8 Connect is the new Outer-Locking System (OLS) in the connection piece. The CAT9 Connect is the first two-piece bat that attaches the carbon composite handle directly to the barrel. The composite handle is threaded into the AZR alloy barrel and then locked into place by the outer locking sleeve, threaded on top of the handle and the barrel's connection. This advanced system will create a stiffer connection than the CAT8 Connect, by dismissing all negative vibrations to the hands. The OLS is an upgrade from the CAT8 Connect's SDX EXT Connection, and this improvement will make for a stiffer feel and smoother swing.

Furthermore, the CAT9 Connect's BBCOR model also has the new Longitudinal Groove System, like the CAT9.

To Sum Up:

The CAT9 Connect offers a new, improved alloy barrel that will create a better feel and forgiveness than the CAT8 Connect. This year's model also introduces a new concept for what the connection of a two-piece bat looks like in the Outer-Locking System. Lastly, the BBCOR version offers a new Longitudinal Groove System.

2021 CAT Lineup Comparison

CAT9:                                                            CAT9 Connect:

Conclusion

In 2021, Marucci will look to build on their dominance from last year. This year's lineup looks to improve their bats' balance and feel while providing design upgrades to their BBCOR (LGS) and Connect models (OLS). When accounting for the 2021 bats' price, the models' price differences are relatively close, with the CAT9 Connect being $20 more expensive than the CAT9 in USSSA and $50 more expensive in BBCOR. Due to the small variation in price, choosing between these two models will come down to the hitter's preference of feel and wanting a balanced or end-loaded bat. So far, early reviews suggest that the end-loaded feel of the CAT9 Connect is most noticeable when comparing the BBCOR models. Also, the CAT9's AV2 knob seems to help dampen the sting to the bottom hand, but not so much the top hand.