I believe we have seen and touched every 2015 BBCOR bat on the market. We've learned a couple things along the way. For starters, lots of bats aren't much different than the next. Second, we are obsessed with baseball bats. And third, looks can be deceiving.
Models Overview
For example, we've found many a bat with surprisingly dinky looks but exceptional power. The opposite has also been true. Further, we've found the eyeball test to find barrel dimensions (like actual diameter and actual barrel size) are impossible to tell and nearly criminally deceiving. A bat's paint job does a great job of duping your eye's measuring skills.
Construction & Technology
The OPS, unlike the 715, only comes in a BBCOR design.There was a 2014 version in the senior league 2 5/8 in a drop 10 called the 2104 Marucci OPS One Camo. You can still find some of these at Marucci's site or online.
Performance Comparison
The biggest issue we have with the bat, and this is serious, is choosing between playing baseball with it or mounting it on our wall.
These bats are actually hard to find and not many vendors are carrying them. Looks like the best pricing you can find on this bat goes with an ebay search like this. Online vendors we checked all have similar pricing (like here).
Comparable Bats
The 715 does have a barrel diameter 1/20 of an inch bigger (not that that's too much of a big deal). But what OPS may lack in diameter we think it makes up in design. It also uses the same ring free design in the barrel that helps makes the Marucci CAT 6 one of our favorites.
Expert Recommendations
But what we have yet to see, in all these bat tests, is a bat whose look alone makes us fall all over ourselves. Hey, I get it, looks are for frilly girls playing rec league slow pitch. Fancy bats and neon striped wrist bands with matching lipstick, trying to prove something other than a love for the game. But then in comes the 2015 Marucci Camo OPS with neon orange letters and a gloss finish to make you weak in the knees.
