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Rawlings Baseball Bats

Reviews of the 2011 Bat Lineup

Here's a summary of the 2011 Rawlings baseball bats. I'll give you a rundown of the models available, any and all reviews I can find, and pricing information on each model and category.

Rawlings has stuck with their same 5150 Composite and Alloy models this year, but have also added an Exogrid model similar to Louisville's design. Just not with the $370 price tag.

Important Notice! Several leagues have announced moratoriums against the use of composite bats for the 2011 baseball season. This may include many of the bats on this page. Be sure to check out the rules of the league you are playing in this year. For more info check out the baseball bat rules page.

5150 Exogrid

Rawlings is now using the same Exogrid technology that has been used by Louisville. The Exogrid technology is from a company called Vyatek Sports. The Exogrid is a 1-piece aluminum alloy model that uses Rawlings' 5150 Alloy. It also uses Vyatek's "Ph.D" technology, or "passive hybrid damping" to help eliminate vibration to the hands on contact. The selling point is that it will revolutionize all-aluminum bats by being one of the first to eliminate vibration on contact.

It's available in the adult, senior league -8.5, and youth -11 models. The adult model is $300, the senior model $250, and the youth is $200.

5150 Exogrid Adult -3 Senior -8.5 Youth -11 Check eBay listings for 5150 Exogrid

5150 Composite

The 5150 Composite is the same from the 2010 lineup, with a senior league -9, and -10, as well as a youth -11 model. The adult version is still available in the 2010 version. This is a 1-piece, all composite, multi-wall design that has a balanced feel. It uses "aerospace grade aramid and carbon fibers" as stated on the Rawlings website. They also claim that this bat has the largest and most responsive sweet spot that can be made on a BESR certified bat. The senior league models retails for $280 and the youth at $200.

5150 Composite Senior -9 Senior -10 Youth -11 Check eBay listings for 5150 Composite

5150 Alloy

The 5150 Alloy is a 1-piece all-aluminum model with a balanced feel. The 5150 Alloy is claimed to be hotter than the aluminum bats of the past, with higher strength and increased flex, producing more trampoline effect. The 2011 model is available in a BBCOR version at $200, and the senior league category at $150. 

5150 Alloy Adult -3 BBCOR Senior -10 Check eBay listings for 5150 Alloy

Summary

On Baseball Express, the Exogrid bats gets great reviews. The comments from users is that the vibration eliminating Ph.D technology does work and the bat has a great feel. The 5150 Composite gets mainly good reviews as well, averaging about 4/5 stars. The 2011 5150 Alloy model doesn't have many reviews, but the adult version from last year has at least 15, and it averages 5 stars. It appears that the adult version is a great buy for the money, since it's cheaper than many competitors' 1-piece aluminum models. The Rawlings baseball bats appear to be a good option for quality bats without the expensive price tags some of the other company's carry.

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