Blind
BBCOR Bat Testing
Louisville
Slugger Prime 915 vs. Easton MAKO
CEDAR
RAPIDS, Iowa – Perfect Game officials recently conducted a blind
bat testing session with 30 talented high school players in the PG
indoor facility. After conducting some pre-test research, we
had discovered that the Easton MAKO was considered the number-one
BBCOR bat on the market. Our partners at Louisville Slugger claimed
that their PRIME 915 outperforms even the best BBCOR bat on the
market.
We
decided to run a test to see what the players actually thought. At
PG we have HitTrax, Zepp and other equipment to measure almost
everything that happens during the swing and at contact, but the most
important element is what the actual hitters have to say.
In
the testing, both a 32-inch and 33-inch MAKO and PRIME 915 were
painted black so they could only be identified by a marking on the
knob by the test administrators. The hitters then took several
swings with each bat while we gathered data on each swing. When
they were finished hitting we asked each player which bat he
preferred, among other questions.
Before
conducting the test, we thought the results would be fairly close but
that, in fact, is not what occurred. Twenty-six of the thirty players
said they preferred the Louisville Slugger PRIME 915 while four
players chose the Easton MAKO. In fact, the PRIME 915 also had the
most hitters say it was the best in the following performance
categories:
Overall
Performance – 87% chose LS PRIME 915
Best
Balance – 70% chose LS PRIME 915
Best
Feel – 83% chose LS PRIME 915
Best
Sound – 73% chose LS PRIME 915
Best
Pop – 83% chose LS PRIME 915
*Base
Size – 30 high school players
**Bats
tested by Perfect Game officials at the Perfect Game headquarters in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
One element that stood
out to
our Perfect Game staff that conducted the test was that none of the
players included in the testing cited owning or using a Louisville
Slugger BBCOR bat prior to the testing. At the conclusion, exactly
50% of players said
they would switch to the PRIME 915
from
the bat brands they are using today, which includes the biggest
brands in the game.
Perfect
Game Vice President Jason Gerst, who observed the testing, stated:
"Our
goal in doing this test was simple. We sell bats from many
manufacturers and we were under the impression that all BBCOR bats
were very similar in performance. We wanted to do a fair test and see
the results for ourselves; that is what we did and in this case the
results were very clear. The players had no idea which bat they were
swinging and it was incredible seeing nearly every hitter pick the
same bat. In this case there was a clear winner.”
Louisville
Slugger provided the following description of the bat used in the
test:
“The
PRIME 915 is the ultimate combination of Speed, Power and Balance in
Baseball. Its premium composite barrel, stiff handle technology, and
patented three-piece construction give the PRIME 915 a lighter swing
weight, a massive sweet spot, dramatically reduced vibration compared
to other bats, and maximum barrel flex, giving you the best possible
feel when you bring the bat through the zone. We’re confident that
this is the best bat in baseball and we’re backing it up with the
30-Day Performance Promise. If you’re not more confident in your
swing in 30 days, send it back!”
PG
will continue to conduct more equipment testing as Perfect
Game tries to find out what is the best possible baseball and
softball equipment on the market.