Marucci CAT8 Bat the Latest in Technology

Marucci unveiled the 2019 CAT8 bat for BBCOR and USSSA using the strongest aluminum alloy in the Marucci line.

Employing a new high-grade aluminum allows for a stronger material than regular aluminum, said Ryder Dupuis, Marucci category manager. The material allows engineers to create thinner walls for more forgiving areas with higher performance.

“The multi-variable wall design creates an expanded sweet spot and thinner barrel walls that are more forgiving after off-center contact,” he said.

The balanced, ring-free barrel CAT8 comes with more variability in the walls than its predecessor and with an updated anti-vibration knob. The barrel size has also shifted to 2-3/4-inch. The knob, weighing approximately two ounces below the hands, helps the bat swing lighter to allow athletes to generate faster bat speed.

“It comes into play in BBCOR and also in the youth level where kids are not as strong and developed,” Dupuis said. “They will be able to swing a -10 and it will feel like a -12.

“Both power hitters and contact hitters will enjoy the CAT8,” Dupuis said. “The stiffer flex of the one-piece alloy design is beneficial for power hitters, while the balanced design is a good fit for contact hitters.”

The updated CAT line expands beyond the one-piece model. A two-piece hybrid CAT8 Connect includes Marucci’s newest connection, the Extended Shock Dissipating Connection. Designed to create a stiffer connection than previously, it allows for more energy transfer from player to ball for higher performance using a three-step design, Dupuis said. The CAT8 Connect features an end-loaded design.

To further the CAT line, Marucci also unveiled a CAT Composite model—with high tensile and compressive strengths—for USSSA certification with a new proprietary resin formula to bond layers at various angles for improved stiffness and strength.

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