Louisville Slugger Debuts Meta Prime, Designed In a New Style

Louisville Slugger already spent August releasing a new line of BBCOR bats. But for Oct. 1, the brand has something entirely fresh with the release of the Meta Prime.

Constructed with a new composite built form the ground up and a fresh connection system to handle the stiffness-vibration balance, Tom Burns, senior product manager for Slugger bats, says the design and engineering teams took a new approach on the Meta Prime, turning to sound testing for the first time.

“We took every bit of technology and put it into a new composite, two-piece bat,” he says. “The barrel is called EKO Composite, coming from sound. We are starting to do a lot of sound tests and this bat has a unique sound, designed from the ground up with a new composite. We feel like it is the best we have very done in terms of layup and consistency.”

The main reward, he says, is a half-inch longer barrel for a bigger barrel and sweet spot.

The connection system also comes new. Debuting the new 3FX system, connecting the barrel and handle, Burns says there is always a balance of stiffness and vibration as players move higher in the BBCOR game. As players desire maximum stiffness and move toward one-piece bats, they start to struggle with vibration in the move. The 3FX system aims to “tune stiffness on the inside and outside using a two-part system” designed to provide the stiff feel on contact while reducing vibration.

“There was a ton of engineering and play-testing work that went into this,” Burns says. “We are super psyched.”

This top-of-the-line model comes built off the Prime family and Burns calls it the “supercar version of bats.”

Already in August, Slugger offered a fresh Prime 919, Select 719, Solo 619 and Omaha 519. The Prime, Select and Solo all hit the customization site, a first for both the Select and Solo lines. But for the Meta Prime, which releases in a deep red aesthetic with black and gold, the October debut centers around fresh technology. And a new sound for BBCOR.

Tim Newcomb covers gear and business for Baseball America. Follow him on Twitter at @tdnewcomb.

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