It is coming around to that time of year. The bats will swing and the resounding crack can be heard through baseball fields across the country. From Little League field to semi pro-stadiums, what BBCOR bats will be the most popular this year? Just like uniforms get redesigned and players on a team change, bats get redesigned to swing faster, hit farther and work better for a player.
RIP-IT Prototype II
The first BBCOR bat that has one of the best ratings for 2012 is the RIP-IT Prototype II. This is a newer and improved version of the original bat that has been on the market for several years. The Prototype II was improved in the areas of hitting. The sweet spot is slightly larger, making it easier for hitters to connect to the ball in a big way. The bat also looks sharp, with a white base color and red painted details.
DeMarini Voodoo 
When you prefer a meaner looking bat to a sharp one, the DeMarini Voodoo might be your first choice. This bat was ranked highly because of its overall likeability in the areas of design, hitting, balance and performance. The design features black painting with white skull painted on the front and white details around the bat. The structure is made up so it balances when being held for practice swings. In terms of the sweet spot it does all right, but isn’t rated as high as other bats for how large it is.
Easton Power Brigade Series
Easton has a reputation of creating high quality bats for players of all ages. The Power Brigade series is a bat that meets up with this reputation in terms of performance, but has a little less detail on the design. The Power Brigade series for 2012 was redesigned to have a sweet spot that was larger and better balance. However, the actual paint and design were kept similar to what they were in previous years, making this bat not stand out as much this year. When you don’t care about paint or having graphics on your bat, then this might be the power choice to place in your batting equipment bag.
Marucci Black
When you want a lightweight bat to swing, the Marucci Black might be your best option, as its weight is often the first thing commented on when players pick it up. The light weight of the bat makes it able to swing faster and can get more power behind the ball. If you are a casual user of this bat, it will perform well. However, heavy use tends to make the bat less effective and making players pull out a backup in cases where big hits are needed and games might be on the line.
Rawlings 5150
A name synonymous with baseball is Rawlings. The Rawlings 5150 model bat is sharp looking with red and silver paint. The black handle gives the hitter good grip while the swing is in place. The bat looks good, but hasn’t been redesigned over last year’s model in terms of weight or design.