Put purely and simply, the best wooden baseball bats are made from ash. To be more precise, Northern White Ash! It is top quality wood, usually from Pennsylvania, which gives a straight grain and this is the most important criteria for the best wood bats used today.
However, baseball bats made from ash are amongst the most expensive on the market and there are other options available which are more than adequate and suitable. The sort of bat you buy will depend upon the level at which you play and, obviously, the price you are willing to pay. Just because your bat isn’t made from top of the range Northern White Ash doesn’t mean it isn’t a good bat and having the best wooden baseball bat doesn’t automatically make you a great player.
The Choices
- Not all ash bats are constructed from Northern White Ash. There are other varieties available made with Southern Ash and these are often sold as Pro Stock. If buying any ash bat, be sure to check which type of ash the bat is made from.
- Becoming increasingly popular in the Major League, maple bats can actually cost more than an ash bat but they are more durable. The extra cost involved is offset by the fact that a maple bat will outlast an ash bat. However, a good maple bat should use quality wood such as Sugar Maple or Rock Maple which are hard woods. There are inferior maple bats available such as those made from red and silver maple which will not last nearly as long.
- Harder than ash but more pliable than maple, birch bats are lighter than both. Some professional players reckon that birch will soon surpass ash as the wood of choice but that remains to be seen.
- A newcomer to the world of wooden baseball bats, hickory is heavier than other wood used in making bats but also harder. Still a work in progress, lighter hickory bats are starting to appear and are attracting a lot of interest from the Major League.
- Another fairly recent addition to the baseball world, bamboo bats don’t flake, split or crack easily. Still fairly rare but an up-and-coming wooden bat on the market.
- Some bats are labeled as “composite wood” or “composite”. Some are, in fact, 100% wood while others are mostly metal or hard plastic. If buying a composite bat, be sure to check out what amount and what sort of wood, or woods, are used in the bat’s construction. Composite wood bats are a good choice for practise batting.
Top 10 Wood Bats Complete Chart
| Picture | Name | Wood Type | Price | Rating (1-5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1. Louisville Slugger 2014 C271 M9 Maple Baseball Bat | Maple | $$ | 4.8 |
 | 2. Marucci Chase Utley Cu26 Pro Maple Black Wood Baseball Bat | Maple | $$$ | 4.6 |
 | 3. Easton MLF5 Maple Fungo Baseball Bat | North American Maple | $$$$ | 4.4 |
 | 4. Louisville Slugger WB180BB-NA 180 Natural Baseball Bat | Ash | $ | 4.4 |
 | 5. Mizuno 2014 Classic Bamboo Wood Baseball Bat | Bamboo | $ | 4.3 |
 | 6. Easton Maple Softball Bat (34-Inch) | North American Maple | $ | 4.3 |
 | 7. Easton Mako Comp Maple Wood Baseball Bat, 34-Inch/31-Ounce | Maple/ Composite | $ | 4.3 |
 | 8. DeMarini 2014 Corndog WTDXCDA BBCOR Baseball Bat | Maple/ Aluminum Composite | $$ | 4.1 |
 | 9. DeMarini 2014 Pro Maple 248 Profile WTDX248 Wood Baseball Bat | North American Maple | $$ | 4.1 |
 | 10. Easton S1 Hybrid Maple/Bamboo Wood Baseball Bat | Maple/Bamboo Composite | $$ | 3.9 |
Top 3 Best Wood Bats Reviews
1. Louisville Slugger 2014 C271 M9
Hardly a surprise that the “Louisville Slugger” should top the list of the best baseball bats. The iconic brand has been the best known and biggest selling manufacturer of baseball bats for years and have built their reputation on quality. And when it comes to quality, there is very little to compare with the Louisville Slugger C271.
Made from professional grade maple, the C271 is extremely tough and durable and is the official, and number one rated, wooden bat used in Major League Baseball. Playing in the top league may be slightly beyond me at present but with a C271 I at least look the part even if my hitting may need a little more practice. And speaking of practice, the C271 is the ideal bat for those wanting to get used to a wooden bat for the first time.
The C271 is a throwback to the good old days when a baseball bat looked, performed and sounded like a wood bat should. The maple construction not only lasts longer than most bats but is not liable to flake as is often the case with baseball bats made with inferior wood.
Louisville Sluggers have ruled the baseball world for decades and, if they keep producing bats as good as the C271, will continue to do so for many years to come.
2. Marucci Chase Utley Cu26 Pro
The Marucci Pro Model bat is one of the best that I have come across. There may be more famous manufacturers and certainly more expensive wooden bats but Marucci have come up with an almost perfect baseball bat. In terms of quality and value for money, the Marucci Pro is right up there!
Handcrafted using the best quality and professional grade maple, the Marucci Pro is then bone-rubbed to strengthen the bat and constructed from a single piece of wood or billet as it is called. The beauty of a single billet wood bat is that it is supposed to feel more responsive when striking the ball and the Marucci Pro certainly does.
Although the bat weighs just under two pounds, it has the feel of a heavier bat but is faster and easier to swing than heavier wooden models. The Marucci Pro is a great bat for newcomers to wooden bats to use in practice but for those who have experience using wood bats the maple Pro is in a league of its own. Looking and feeling like traditional wooden bats, the thin handle and large barrel let you swing the bat faster and with a little more zing than most of the competition.
I would like to think that using the Marucci Pro has improved my game greatly but I am still very much a work in progress. However, I certainly feel more confident and at ease using my new maple bat and the Marucci Pro Model is well-deserving of its place near the top of the list for best wood bats.
3. Easton MLF5 Maple Fungo Baseball Bat
Although it cannot be used in the little leagues, the Easton MLF5 Fungo is one of the best bats to practice with. Being a fungo bat it is lighter and longer and has a smaller diameter than its regulation cousins. For this reason fungo bats are excellent for sharpening reflexes and increasing accuracy.
In the fungo category, the MLF5, from the long-established and renowned Easton company, is one of the best wood bats available and a very high-quality item. Made from professional grade North American maple, it is the ideal wooden bat with which to practice and learn and I highly recommend it for both beginners and experienced players as all of us can always do with being just that little bit faster and more accurate.
