5+ Best Baseball Bat Flips [With GIFs]

BAT FLIP, noun, an exaggerated throwing of your bat after a clutch hit or homerun.

With the emergence of social media and more animated personalities in baseball, bat flips have become more prevalent, controversial, and popular. A bat flip is almost always going to aggravate somebody, and it usually doesn’t end well. Don’t be surprised if you end up with a fastball-sized bruise following your next at-bat. You’ve been warned. With that warning in mind, what are the best bat flips of all time?

The Best Bat Flips Of All Time

Jose Bautista's Bat Flip

One of the most iconic bat flips is also one of the most current: Jose Bautista's bat flip. Jimmy Rollins and Bret Boone receive credit for flipping their baseball bats first, but Bautista ignited the current craze. In the 2015 ALDS, he launched a clutch hit during the deciding ALDS against the Texas Rangers and proceeded to flip his Marucci bat to the sky (see below). The Blue Jays went on to win the AL Division Series (3-2) in large part due to this momentum-changing homerun. 

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Remember the warning from earlier? During the 2016 season, the Rangers and Blue Jays met in a regular season game that included some lingering bad blood from the infamous Bautista bat flip (see below). Take heed before you bat flip as it may come with some dire consequences.

Remember that not all bat flips result in a crushing blow to the face. While they do upset traditionalists and pitchers, bat flips serve a positive purpose too. Whether it is to pump up your teammates or to get the crowd roaring, you can't go wrong with a perfectly timed bat flip.

Yoenis Cespedes Bat Flip

Moving on from the Bautista bat flip, the New York Mets have had some epic bat flips throughout the years. Here is Yoenis Cespedes joining in on the fun with this end-over-end bat flip that literally does a full flip before landing:

And here is Asdrubal Cabrera using both hands to flip the everloving wood out of his bat after a walk-off home run in September 2016. Ah, yes. The ol' two-handed bat flip to an immediate hands-in-the-air celebration:

Bryce Harper's Bat Flip

Bryce Harper, the Make Baseball Fun Again promoter, has also been known to flip out after big hits. His may be a bit more subtle than others, but Harper's point is still made. Here he is crushing one over the fence and then gracefully flipping his bat towards the dugout:

Chase Utley's Bat Flip

Most bat flips are done on purpose. They are done in the heat of the moment with extreme force and are almost habitual. But, truth be told, there are a few bat flips that take place that is done completely by accident. For example, Chase Utley demonstrates an accidental bat flip:

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Bonus Bat Flips

Bat flips aren't exclusive to the MLB, either. Want to see a ridiculous, over-the-top bat flip? This ballplayer not only flips his bat higher than anyone else, but he immediately starts doing the running man down the first baseline. An A for passion, but this one might have taken it a bit too far:

Remember that you don't have to be in a game to carry out an epic bat flip. Anyone can throw a baseball bat or softball bat high in the air, but mixing in some tricks is a nice change of pace. Props go out to this guy for his trick-filled bat flip. Wonder how many takes this took?

Has your favorite player ever flipped his bat? Have you ever flipped your bat? Follow JustBats on social media and let us know about your favorite bat flip, and we will continue to update this list of epic bat flips as they come about. In the meantime, please let us know if you have any baseball bat or softball bat related questions. You can always give our Bat Experts a call at 866-321-BATS (2287) or shoot us an email at experts@justbats.com. Remember, we're here for you from click to hit!