The 2023 Axe Strato is a single-piece bat that currently comes in a USA and USSSA. We expect a BBCOR version shortly. The bat is built for the severe entry-level player or the big hitting kid that wants a light swing, a good-sized barrel, and a single stiff piece on an ergonomic handle.
Models Overview
The bat is still new, so we are still gathering data and feedback from players and the market at large. Generally, the bat gets good ratings, was seen a handful of times in the LLWS for 2022 (when players could choose any bat they wanted), and can hit the ball well enough. Online reviews look cheerful, and we are encouraged that the Axe Strato is a good improvement over the Axe Elite One from years past. We'd love to see a drop 5 version of the bat for the power hitter as we think the drop 8 is a bit in no man's land, but the release season is still young.
Performance Comparison
This is the first year of the Strato, but consider it an upgrade from the Axe Elite One line of bats.
Comparable Bats
There are a lot of single-piece alloy bats, but none have the ergonomic handle as the 2023 Axe Strato. However, look at bats like the Slugger Omaha or Solo, the Easton Fuze line, or DeMarini's Voodoo One.
Expert Recommendations
Single-piece bats are generally for those who either don't care about hand sting or don't hit the ball hard enough (or see fast enough pitch speed) to worry about it. That ideal tends toward bigger hitters who want all the power they can transfer into the ball or the more undersized hitter that needs as much bat control as possible to find pitches.
All Axe Bats come with a patterned Axe handle design which has proven to give better bat control and increase exit speed for some hitters. Although it's a bit to get used to, after a handful of swings, you'll never wonder why you swung a round knob in the first place.
