Marucci Cat 8 vs Cat 7 BBCOR

After two years of development and refining, the Marucci Cat 8 BBCOR is finally here. So you’re probably here asking ‘What is the difference between the Marucci Cat 8 and Cat 7?’. You came to the right place. We hit the new Cat 8 and Cat 7 side by side for a few days to answer that question.

Bigger Sweet Spot

After hitting the new Cat 8 and the older Cat 7 extensively, it is clear that the sweet spot of the Cat 8 BBCOR bat is larger and more forgiving. The added variable walls to the Cat 8 are noticeable when you connect with the baseball. We were consistently driving the baseball deeper into the outfield with the 2019 Cat 8 vs the Cat 7.

 

Solid Feel

The Cat 8 BBCOR feels much more solid at contact than the Cat 7 BBCOR. This is due to the new AZ105 aluminum alloy used on the Cat 8 bats this year. The new metal alloy is stronger, lighter, and more durable, allowing for thinner walls on the barrel. Thinner walls mean more trampoline and more pop. We 100% could tell a difference in pop with the Cat 8 over the Cat7. The Cat 8 is burly. The barrel is larger, the grip is thicker, and it simply drives the ball harder than the Cat 7.

Less Vibration

We noticed our Cat 7 was stinging the hands a little more than we like, but not too bad. The Cat 8, however, has ZERO vibration. None. Zip. Zilch. Nada. The same harmonic vibration dampener is used on both bats, so we believe the decrease comes from the new alloy Marucci is using on Cat 8 baseball bats.

 

Larger Barrel Profile

The Cat 8 BBCOR has a slightly larger barrel profile than the Cat 7. Larger barrel means more opportunity to make better contact on the barrel.

Reminds Us Of

The Cat 8 BBCOR bat is a phenomenal bat. Hitting the Cat 8 felt similar to the pop and performance of bats like the Louisville Slugger Prime BBCOR (that cost $150 more).

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