What is one of the most sought-after features on any baseball bat or softball bat? You guessed it—the pop.
Our Bat Experts get a lot of questions about baseball and softball bats and their pop. Questions similar to:
- Which baseball or softball bat has the most pop?
- Which bats have the least amount of pop?
- What are the data points one can use to determine which bats are more powerful?
- How do you measure the pop of a bat?
People love to talk about the bats they use, but rarely do we hear an in-depth discussion of bat pop. There’s a lot that goes into what makes a bat have “pop,” and even though the off-the-shelf bats most people use may be made off the same mold, they aren’t all created equally. Over the years, several different bat models have claimed to be the most “pop” you can get out of a bat. In this article, our Bat Experts will...
- Breakdown what pop is
- Share the bats with the best pop for each league
- Provide insight as to what to look for when shopping for bats with pop
What is pop?
In layman’s terms, Pop is the performance of a batted ball off the barrel of a bat. The primary metric used to define “pop” is exit velocity or the speed at which the ball leaves the bat. The harder/faster a ball is hit, the further it will travel.
There are additional factors to keep in mind when shopping for the hottest bats, such as barrel control, sweet spot size, cost, etc.
BBCOR Baseball Bat With The Most Pop
When looking for the best bat for high school baseball, it’s essential to know your player’s style. A bigger, more potent hitter will benefit more from a stiff, one-piece aluminum bat. Smaller, younger hitters frequently gravitate towards multi-piece composite bats as they provide better feel through contact.
Through bat reviews, data analysis, and testing from our Bat Experts, we determined our pick for the BBCOR bat with the most pop.
Most Pop BBCOR: Marucci CAT 8 BBCOR Baseball Bat
The Marucci CAT8 is a game-changer. Utilizing AZ105 Alloy, Marucci fortified a high-performance barrel many years in the making. Previous CAT models turned heads for the better part of the past decade, but the release of the CAT8 served to be the hottest yet.
Bat reviews:
“I just recently started using it and I have hit balls longer than I have ever hit before. SO MUCH POP”
“Great balance and tons of pop. I do a ton of research on bats, and he has tried everything. This bat is the best on the market.”
“Pop, balance, sweet spot. We noticed right away a larger sweet spot with this bat. It was expanded quite a bit from other bats he has used. Balls fly off this thing with higher velocity.”
Youth Baseball Bat With The Most Pop
Every parent wants to buy their child the best bat. A bat that can cover the entire plate and hit balls out of the park. A critical factor to keep in mind when shopping for the hottest youth bat is that pop at the youth level primarily depends on the quality of contact. Be sure that your player will comfortably and consistently square up the ball with each swing. To help, we recommend a balanced swing weight for most hitters at the youth level.
We have used customer feedback and bat reviews to determine the youth bats with the most pop for both USSSA and USA Baseball.
Most Pop USSSA: Marucci CAT 8 (-10) USSSA Baseball Bat
Just like at the BBCOR level, the Marucci CAT8 reigns supreme. However, the USSSA version of Marucci’s best bat has more pop than its drop-3 counterpart (USSSA bats have a higher performance allowance than BBCOR.) The CAT8 is a balanced, one-piece alloy with outstanding durability but, even better, pop. If you’re looking for the hottest USSSA baseball bat, the Marucci CAT8 is the way to go.
Bat reviews:
“Good pop and distance right out of the wrapper. No complaints of any sting. All the kids like the look and results. Buy it!”
“Bought this for USSSA ball this summer. The boy loves it. Tons of pop [and] gets a lot of attention because it’s LOUD!”
Most Pop USA Bat: Louisville Slugger Select 719 (-10) USA Baseball Bat
Why not dive right into a hybrid bat from USA Baseball? The Louisville Slugger Select 719 offers a little bit of everything for hitters. The composite handle nullifies vibrations, the advanced connection point provides a nice amount of flex, but the real star here in the alloy barrel. Baseballs FLY off the aluminum barrel of the Select. So much so that this bat single-handedly silenced some of the chatter surrounding the lowered performance of USA Bats. The pop is real, and parents and players alike have taken notice.
Bat reviews:
“This Louisville was ready to go and my 12 yr is hitting bombs off this bat already in his first game with it. Awesome pop, ready to hit right out of the box.”
“The bat so far has been as advertised. He has lots of pop and is a good feel in my son’s hands.”
“Balanced feel. No complaints of hand sting. Amazing pop for a USA bat!”
Fastpitch Bat With The Most Pop
The hottest bats in softball are all composite models. This has more to do with the softball itself rather than the bats. A softball is bigger, heavier, and denser than a baseball. As a result, the same aluminum alloy materials that deliver middle-of-the-lineup power for baseball players tend to run into durability issues (denting) for softball players. Composite barrels hold up to the rigors of softball and provide better leverage to drive the ball.
Considering all of the major factors, we have made our selection for the fastpitch softball bat with the most pop.
Most Pop Fastpitch Softball: Easton Ghost Double Barrel -10 Fastpitch Softball Bat
When the first Easton Ghost Double Barrel was released for the 2018 season, the softball world noticed. After a few minor tweaks and adjustments, Easton improved the pop and created a must-swing bat. Players around the country have learned, and while there are a few comments regarding the durability, the pop on the Ghost Double Barrel is second-to-none.
Bat reviews:
“Daughter absolutely loves it! Pop right out of the wrapper. She loves the feel and the weight and has been hitting better than ever! Very happy and lives up to the hype!”
“Got this bat as soon as it became available. Overall great feel thru the bat with amazing pop!”
“Been using the 2018 Ghost for past two years and did not think they could possibly make another bat that hot, but the 2020 is. No need to worry about break in period. Hot straight out of the wrapper. Could not ask for a better bat.”
Wood Bat With The Most Pop
Unlike the previous selections, high-performing wood bats aren’t the product of material innovation. Finding a wood bat with tremendous pop comes down to the quality of wood and the turn model of the bat. We’ve scanned the responses of verified customers along with our own list of wood bat reviews to determine our wood bat with the most pop.
Most Wood Bat Pop: Brett Bros. Maple/Bamboo Wood Baseball Bat
This JustBats exclusive combines the benefits of both maple wood and bamboo materials to create a hard-hitting bat for wood baseball leagues. The bamboo core delivers stiff power throughout the swing, while the 110 turn allows players crazy amounts of whip through the zone. The final result is a wood bat with ridiculous amounts of pop. If you haven’t swung one yet, we highly recommend grabbing this Brett Bros Maple/Bamboo before your next game.
Bat reviews:
“I have used this bat for almost two seasons, and it is still not broken. Tons of pop. Its a great bat and would highly recommend it.”
“Nice pop, good balance. Solid, it didn’t break, and it was hit off the end a couple of times.”
“Great pop for a wood bat. You can kind of feel the ball shoot of the bat when the ball hits the sweet spot. Makes a really nice sound too!”
Slow Pitch Bat With The Most Pop
Slow pitch softball is all about hitting softballs a long way. Finding the best pop to suit your game is paramount when playing at the highest level. Like fastpitch, most softball bats with the best pop will come from composite barrel bats. Composite materials tend to hold up better to the powerful collisions with softballs, allowing each player to effectively swing through contact and drive the ball further into the outfield.
We’ve scanned the responses and read the bat reviews to determine our recommendation of the slow pitch bat with the most pop.
Most Pop Slow Pitch: DeMarini Nautalai 13” Balanced USSSA Slow Pitch Softball Bat
While we generally associate end-loaded bats with generating the most pop, the DeMarini Nautalai seems to be an exception to the rule. Blessed with an explosive composite barrel, the Nautalai has a propensity to create faster swing speeds and exceptional performance off of the barrel. One of the main culprits for the Nautalai’s elite performance has to be the stiff aluminum alloy handle which allows hitters to drive through the swing and the ball to fly off the barrel. If you’re interested in trying the DeMarini Nautalai, be sure to try the JustBats Bat Assurance Program to give yourself 30 risk-free days to try it out.
---
There’s our list of the bats with the most pop. Remember, every bat will perform slightly differently for each player. We made our selection based on customer feedback, expert analysis, and displayed performance. There are hundreds of different bats currently on the market, which is why we have an entire page dedicated to customer bat reviews. Be sure to do your own research, or feel free to call (1-866-321-2287), email (experts@justbats.com), or LIVE CHAT our Bat Experts for buying advice. We hope you’ve enjoyed this breakdown. We’re JustBats, and we’re with you from Click to Hit!
