2018 Anderson Centerfire Youth Bat

Our Summary and Review of the Anderson Centerfire:

When evaluating the 2018 Anderson Centerfire, our team decided to approach this review from a unique perspective that would best help baseball families mid-season. Considering everyone has already purchased their USA bat by now, we conducted this evaluation through the lens of players and families who have become dissatisfied with their USA bat and may consider a change. For our test, we began by polling our volunteer hitters in an attempt to gather feedback regarding their level of satisfaction with the USA Bat they choose. We targeted players from the 7-10 age range and invited them back to another evaluation day to see if they would rather keep the USA Bat they use or make a change to the Centerfire. With playoffs drawing closer and closer, having confidence at the plate is never more crucial. Usually the teams that win post season tournaments are the teams that hit and gel defensively at the right time. Is it worth making a change this late in the season? After approximately 250 solid swings with the 2018 Anderson Centerfire USA bat using volunteers between the ages of 7-11 whom were all unsatisfied with the they currently had in their possession, the following is our official review.

Evaluating the Pop of the Anderson Centerfire:

Both our staff and volunteer hitters were very surprised as to the amount of pop the Centerfire was able to administer. Remember, it was not developed for the older divisions of USA Baseball. Anderson specifically states this bat is best used for the age range of 7-10. For us to compare the pop potential of this single piece alloy aimed for early kid pitch to the pop potential of the Easton Ghost X or the Mizuno Maxcor doesn’t seem fair. In terms of pop when compared to other -11 USA Bats being used by younger kids, our results showed the Centerfire outperforming the majority. One of our hitters wrote the following on his scorecard, “I have been using the 5150 all season long and I really like it. But the Centerfire sent the ball further when I used it.”

OFFICIAL SCORE: 10 / 10

Calculating the Vibration Control of the Anderson Centerfire:

As we evaluated the single piece aluminum construction Centerfire for its ability to withstand shock vibrations to the grip, we understood it probably will not defend as well as the 2-piece composite Techzilla. This is expected considering the difference in material between the two bats. To test the Centerfire, we set the pitching machine at 40 mph which is probably the average pitch speed for the top pitchers throwing in first year kid pitch. We are happy to report that the Centerfire protected very well against the stinging vibrations of an incoming baseball. Each of our volunteers took about 50 pitches each during this section of the evaluation. Less than 10% of the time, vibration was reported to occur.

OFFICIAL SCORE: 9 / 10

Assessing the Grip & Comfort of the Anderson Centerfire:

When measuring the grip and comfort, we base our score upon the direct feedback from the volunteer youth hitters who participated in the evaluation process. At the end of each station, one of our representatives asks each player a series of questions in order to gauge how confident and comfortable they were when swinging the bat. After gathering the respective data, the hitters indicated the Centerfire felt a bit heavier than a -11 should. Other than that, the balanced swing weight delivered solid shots and most of the hitters’ stated positive remarks. One such volunteer said, “The Centerfire felt a bit heavy but not crazy heavy. It swings like a -10 but gets the job done. I hit a lot of hard line drives and grounders with it.”

OFFICIAL SCORE: 8 / 10

Measuring the Durability of the Anderson Centerfire:

The outstanding durability of the Centerfire is one of the best aspects of this youth USA baseball bat. The special aerospace alloy material held up very well over the course of the evaluation taking on over 250 solid swings and not incurring any major denting, scratching, crazing, or bending. With the Centerfire coming into the baseball bat market late in the 2018 season, its super strong durability can take your player into next season.

OFFICIAL SCORE: 9 / 10

TLDR; Determining the Overall Experience of the Anderson Centerfire:

From the outset of this evaluation, our goal was to have each of our volunteers compare their 2018 youth bat with the 2018 Anderson Centerfire. As stated earlier, we only used hitters between the ages of 7-11 all of whom are currently playing kid pitch baseball this season for the first or second time. Since the filter for test subjects were slimmer than evaluations in the past, our team was only able collect seven players. But from these kids, we wanted to know how many would switch out their bat for an Anderson Centerfire if given the opportunity. Our results showed that 4 of these volunteers would rather make the change to a Centerfire while the other 3 preferred their original picks. Despite this fact, all seven volunteers positively enjoyed using the Centerfire and would recommend it to any peer still looking. We do wish this USA bat would have come to the market a bit quicker so we more kids could have had a Centerfire as an option. Nonetheless, it makes for a great bat and a big competitor going into the 2019 season as well.

OVERALL SCORE: 9 / 10