Marucci CATX BBCOR bat review

The Marucci CATX BBCOR bat is a beautiful one-piece alloy model that manages to offer a perfect combination of comfort, pop, and performance. It’s a standard drop 3 model that you can find anywhere from 29 inches to 34 inches.

The CATX saw several improvements that may make it one of the most popular bats on the market this year. Marucci made the bat a much slimmer taper than the CAT9 had. It also has a new grip that seems a little less bulky.

Overall, Marucci looked at the best qualities of the DeMarini Voodoo One and tried making something similar. Honestly, it seems like it worked. This bat is getting rave reviews.

Note: If you’re shopping online or in-store, be sure you’re looking at the right bat. Marucci has a CATX BBCOR (what we’re reviewing), a CATX Connect, and a CATX Composite. Just be sure you’re looking at the right model before you click checkout.

Our verdict on the CATX BBCOR 4.62

Looking at all of the changes that Marucci made, this is easily a top 5 bat on the market. This is a bat that anyone can benefit from using. Whether you’re looking for bat speed, consistent contact, or a large sweet spot, this is a great choice.

Build 4.6

The CATX is built for success. It’s a one-piece alloy model that features a multi-variable wall. Simply put, it has a larger sweet spot that is also more forgiving on mishits.

Marucci has also added a liquid-gel dampening knob designed to absorb vibration. The handle’s taper and the grip offer more comfort than anything you’ve seen from the CAT series before.

The sweet spot is large, but isn’t quiet at the elite level.

Comfort 4.8

The new CATX BBCOR baseball bat was designed with comfort in mind. The multi-variable walls and ring-free design make for a more forgiving barrel. The new dampening knob is designed to absorb vibrations.

The slimmer taper and soft-touch grip make this bat easy to hold. Additionally, the bat’s grip is extra tacky to offer more control.

In short, this bat was made to reduce vibration and feel comfortable in a hitter’s hands.

Durability 4.8

One-piece alloy models are known for their durability. The CATX lives up to that tradition. It’s a one-piece made with AZR alloy which means it goes through three phases of treatment just to ensure the metal can live up to daily use.

We’ve seen these bats handle hundreds upon hundreds of swings without issue. We’ve been able to have testers run this through drills and live BP from sunrise to sunset and it’s been able to take the beating without issue.

Pop 4.9

This bat provides plenty of pop. Young players say that its light swing weight makes it easier to whip through the zone.

The large sweet spot and minimal vibration means that a player can confidently swing the bat without fear.

We’ve seen some of our high school players push closer to 400 foot shots with this bat. Exit velocities are comparable to the other elite bats on the market today.

Pricing 4.0

By and large, pricing is getting to be a bit ridiculous these days. That being said, the Marucci CATX is among the most expensive one-piece alloy models on the market. Coming in at $380, it’s tough to justify the pricing.

That being said, if you’re going to pay up, we do believe that this bat offers the performance you should expect. When you consider the performance of last year’s CAT9 it’s difficult to justify Marucci pricing the CATX so high.

This model is about 10% more expensive than DeMarini’s Voodoo One which was one of our favorites last year. Ultimately, pricing is the biggest shortcoming that we can find with this bat.

Compared to other BBCOR bats

Here are a few alternatives to consider in comparison to the Marucci CATX BBCOR baseball bat.

Marucci CATX vs. DeMarini Voodoo One

We’ve mentioned the Voodoo One a few times already, so it should be no surprise that it’s the first comparison that we offer. Some of the experts say that the CATX is could be called Marucci’s Voodoo One because they have such a similar profile. It’s a tough call for us.

While we believe that the CATX outperforms the Voodoo One slightly, the DeMarini offers better pricing and a better history. The price points are fairly similar with the Voodoo One running $350 while the CATX is $380.

We found that the CATX has a larger sweet spot and as such, reduces vibration slightly better. Because of that, we’ll take the CATX over the Voodoo One.

After a down year with the CAT9, it’s hard to believe that we’re putting the new CATX near the top of its class but that’s exactly what we’re doing. Marucci did a great job of reinventing the CAT series.

Check out our DeMarini Voodoo One BBCOR bat review

Marucci CATX vs. Louisville Slugger Atlas

The 2023 Atlas BBCOR is surprisingly similar to the CATX. It is a brand new series for Louisville Slugger that was created to replace the LS Solo.

It offers a deceptively light swing weight. The Atlas does a great job of reducing the vibration. It also features outstanding pop that had some of our players hitting bombs that were well over 350 feet.

We love the new Atlas, but can’t give it a full endorsement when comparing it to the CATX. The CATX has more pop while the Atlas is better at reducing vibration. Both perform really well according to all of the metrics.

That being said, if you’re solely look at performance, we’d recommend the CATX. If you’re looking for a balance between budget and performance, you should consider the Atlas. It’s about $80 cheaper which is a pretty significant price cut.

2023 Louisville Slugger Atlas review coming soon

Who is the Marucci CATX best suited for?

The CATX BBCOR is an outstanding model for any player to use.

Here, we want to focus on who is going to get the most out of this bat. It has a fairly light swing weight which means it’s not ideal for true power hitters, but it does provide plenty of pop.

With that in mind, we’d say this bat is best when it’s in the hands of a player who can spray the ball around. Hitters who have “gap power” or “doubles power” will benefit from this bat more than anyone else. It’s easy to swing, but can also handle mishits really well.