What is the quick review?
For several years DeMarini has created a beast of a bat in the Voodoo line, and many expect DeMarini to do it again this year. Hence the excitement for a wildly popular model that, year in and year out, has lived up to high expectations (if not outpaced them).
What models and sizes are available?
The 2016 Voodoo Raw will come in 4 categories: BBCOR, Youth (2 1/4), Senior Barrel, and, new to the 2016 class, a Junior Big Barrel (2 3/4). We took each version into the cage and have broken down their reviews below.
How is it built?
The 2 1/4 youth line of bats from DeMarini's hybrid line will include, again, a drop 13 Voodoo. Of particular note, the 2016 youth barreled Voodoo Raw, unlike all the other Raws this year, has a light swing weight (MOI). That fact, coupled with its massive size range of 28 inches up to 32 inches, makes it the most versatile Voodoo Raw in the entire 2016 lineup.
One fear we always take into the cage with a drop 13 is how easily hand sting can affect batter confidence---skinny, and light bats tend to wring your hands like the dickens on mishits. The last thing a young player needs is the fear of getting electrocuted every-time he attacks a baseball. But DeMarini's two-piece technology in the Voodoo has come as close as anything to solving that issue in the light swinging bats. Overall
When reviewing baseball bats, it's hard to think of negative things when there isn't anything negative to say. The Voodoo is to the high-performance hybrid bat arena what the Rolls Royce is to the luxury car market in that it defines the space. It was the first (that stuck), it dominates the hybrid bat market, and it is the standard to which all other hybrid bats are compared. From T-Ball to Travel Ball to the NCAA World Series in Omaha, the 2016 Raw will serve as yet another loved iteration in a long genealogy of Voodoo bats that flat out rake.
When the bat is released on August 1st, 2015, the new Voodoo Raw's best pricing is usually found at Amazon (with a search like this) or a place like a baseball express (with a search like this). After August 1st, eBay searches like this are always an interesting place to look. Similar bats will be the 716 Select from Slugger and the 2016 MAKO Hybrid XL.
How does it compare?
There are some differences from 2015 Overlord FT worth mentioning:
- The stiffness of the RAW has been improved in the new D-Fusion 2.0 handle.
- The grip is slightly thinner and tackier when compared to the Overlord FT.
- The knob flare is shorter and more dramatic. We personally like this feel better.
- The end cap design is no longer that 'D' we found in the 2015 versions.
- The color design is targeted at the Highschool/College level.