New Louisville Slugger Design

[Desi]

Louisville has changed the design of their bats for 2013. Per usual, I'm not a fan of change, but this will probably, eventually grow on me.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c107/dmul43/374545_10151277001469293_484802964_n.jpg

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=25515157&c_id=mlb


-Desi

[happyyoungster]

Wow...looks like my 1st grader could have done better. Like the original poster stated, it may eventually grow on me.

[joelsabi]

Wow...looks like my 1st grader could have done better. Like the original poster stated, it may eventually grow on me.

what the video. some interesting decoding symbols on the other side of the barrell.

[frikativ54]

Louisville has changed the design of their bats for 2013. Per usual, I'm not a fan of change, but this will probably, eventually grow on me.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c107/dmul43/374545_10151277001469293_484802964_n.jpg

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=25515157&c_id=mlb


-Desi

The "That's aftermarket" line at the end was priceless. :p

[flota89]

I hate to see them change things this much. Not a big fan of the framed signature.

[brianborsch]

Yeah, the retail bats on ebay look the same. But the retail versions were out before hand....

[justinwc80]

Is this real? Would LS really change this radically? Wow not a fan

[emann]

Coming from a designer who does product branding, I think this design was a step backwards and sad to see. They remind me of the "Turn Ahead the Clock" uniforms... and not in a good way.

The old LVS had tradition, this looks like it's aping the worst features of the competition... It would have been a creative goldmine to rework these bats for the future while retaining the long LVS tradition and this is what they came up with?

These look like a cross between a commemorative bat and some of the modern bats (like Trinity or X-Bat) that haven't really found a specific branding look yet and are just bland. Also, nothing looks burned-in, I'm assuming it's all foil stamped or screened on now...

I like the idea of the icons showing what the bat specs are, but think this should have been on the knob or the barrel end, no reason to emphasize these.

It seems like they're making these unnaturally futuristic with the icons and the overall framed look. I'm assuming someone made a comment that the old bats looked too old or outdated and LVS went too far in the other direction.

[rdeversole]

I think it's hideous and unfortunate. The "Genuine Major League Baseball" line is completely unnecessary. It's more of a defacing than a rebranding...

[chakes89]

What the heck is that crap? :confused:

[PwKw13]

An iconic brand like Louisville Slugger should maintain a traditional look with only minor tweaks. The Yankees have been pretty successful going that route.

[joelsabi]

An iconic brand like Louisville Slugger should maintain a traditional look with only minor tweaks. The Yankees have been pretty successful going that route.

one thing they kept is the center brand look so there is some consistency over time. i agree. why fix it if it aint broken.

the end brand looks different and may grow on me. other bat companies may copy them. at least LVS are the first with the look. When Reynolds said it looked like a baseball card, the first thing that came to my mind was the card companies are going to cut the entire end brand off and put it on a baseball card.

the "dot on the handle" and compression explanation was really interesting.

Prices of Posey and Longoria bats may go up based on the statement made on the video.

[HawaiiSportsNut]

I wonder if the marketing people at LVS were smart enough to take a survey of the players who uses their bats? If they did I am pretty sure that the players would say "HECK NO!", I surely would.

[HawaiiSportsNut]

http://i46.tinypic.com/309rjv4.jpg

[GoTigers]

So, they are doing away with the 125 in the centerbrand? are there other things we need to look for now to tell the difference between retail and pro model?

Like the others have said, I'm not a fan of the new sig block. Louisville Slugger is iconic. It should be tweaked, not transformed. I think this will be short lived.

[GoTigers]

The more I look at it the less I like it. The 4 lines of text at the sig block are in 4 different font sizes, and a couple different fonts. The changes in size, direction, and font are distracting and hard to read.

I barely notice the centerbrand because the sig block is such a mess. I do not like that they dropped the 125 and "Powerized". The centerbrand is almost over-simplified and the barrel branding is a jumbled mess. However, I do like the construction keys on the reverse.

I agree, an iconic brand should be tweeked, not transformed. Any other bat brand would give an arm and a leg to have the brand recognition that Louisville Slugger enjoys, and it seems they are throwing that out the window.

You'd think with all the new comers to the bat industry, Louisville Slugger would want a design that tells the story.. that they've been around for 100+ years.. From Honus Wagner to the new top draft picks.. and that they'll be around for another 100+ years.

I have designed hundreds of retail products for very large international companies.. from bedroom furniture to truck bodies, so I have a small idea of good design. If anyone at Louisville Slugger wants to take another look at this,, I'd love to do some pro bono work :D

[1929tudor]

The worst part on the barrel is the facsimilie autograph. As crappy as these players sign anymore how the heck are you supposed to tell who's bat it is. Only way to narrow it down is they put the team name there and you'll have to guess. What a way to destroy a 100 year old history and tradition to make a bat that looks like that. Every thing changes over time I guess.

[yanks12025]

I think it's so ugly, I may just stick to pre 2013 bats then.

[PwKw13]

It looks strangely similar to this Nike bat...

[ldonley]

Louisville Slugger 2013 = New Coke 1985

History, be prepared to repeat yourself:)

Fail.

[suave1477]

Louisville Slugger 2013 = New Coke 1985

History, be prepared to repeat yourself:)

Fail.

Great reference!! Perfectly said.

[dplettn]

Its not surprising to see the immediate distaste among collectors. I think "PwKw13" may have best characterized the prevailing expectation among our unique group: "An iconic brand like Louisville Slugger should maintain a traditional look with only minor tweaks. The Yankees have been pretty successful going that route."

Having said that, we all need to remember two things:

1) We aren't the audience that matters to LVS. Its the players. Where the players go, the hobby will follow.

2) There is precedent for change beyond minor tweaks. It was long before I was interested in the hobby that the H&B brand transformed to Louisville Slugger.

I'm interested to actually see and touch the modern/contemporary bats. I'm also interested to consider them with player characteristics present (mota, pine tar, etc). But what matters is how the players see it. I would imagine that the variances which players wanted to order were difficult to track with certainty within the clubhouse. And brands like Marucci have posed a unique challenge to LVS's competitive position.

Changes of perception among a company's endorsers is a powerful thing, and likely motivated this move (for our better or worse). I suspect what LVS is doing is adapting to a changing market (player wants) and competitive landscape. As collectors, we'll adapt too.

[joelsabi]

Its not surprising to see the immediate distaste among collectors. I think "PwKw13" may have best characterized the prevailing expectation among our unique group: "An iconic brand like Louisville Slugger should maintain a traditional look with only minor tweaks. The Yankees have been pretty successful going that route."

Having said that, we all need to remember two things:

1) We aren't the audience that matters to LVS. Its the players. Where the players go, the hobby will follow.

2) There is precedent for change beyond minor tweaks. It was long before I was interested in the hobby that the H&B brand transformed to Louisville Slugger.

I'm interested to actually see and touch the modern/contemporary bats. I'm also interested to consider them with player characteristics present (mota, pine tar, etc). But what matters is how the players see it. I would imagine that the variances which players wanted to order were difficult to track with certainty within the clubhouse. And brands like Marucci have posed a unique challenge to LVS's competitive position.

Changes of perception among a company's endorsers is a powerful thing, and likely motivated this move (for our better or worse). I suspect what LVS is doing is adapting to a changing market (player wants) and competitive landscape. As collectors, we'll adapt too.

great points. what did marucci do that made their bats player friendly?

[dplettn]

great points. what did marucci do that made their bats player friendly?

Neither of the players I focus my collecting on on have been Marucci users, so others certainly will know the specifics of Marucci far better than I. My understanding is that features like hand written specs at the factory are easier for a small batch producer than for a larger producer like Louisville Slugger, which produces with greater scale.

While heritage and speed of fulfillment have been competitive advantages for LVS, the visualization of each bat's unique attributes and integrity has been a comparative challenge in contrast to micro producers. So as a business, its their is a fine line LVS must tote in effort to retain its endorsers inside (pun partially intended).

Its no surprise that the modernized presentation (visual and discussion of attributes and manufacturing standards) will be demonstrated to the market on Posey and Votto signature models.

[joelsabi]

Neither of the players I focus my collecting on on have been Marucci users, so others certainly will know the specifics of Marucci far better than I. My understanding is that features like hand written specs at the factory are easier for a small batch producer than for a larger producer like Louisville Slugger, which produces with greater scale.

While heritage and speed of fulfillment have been competitive advantages for LVS, the visualization of each bat's unique attributes and integrity has been a comparative challenge in contrast to micro producers. So as a business, its their is a fine line LVS must tote in effort to retain its endorsers inside (pun partially intended).

Its no surprise that the modernized presentation (visual and discussion of attributes and manufacturing standards) will be demonstrated to the market on Posey and Votto signature models.


I know that the Marucci computer system makes it easy to save the customization for a player so its easy to reorder in the future. For example Chase Utley has 18 customized bats in the system. If he want CU7 he asks for that specific model. Visually maybe that code is enough.

[emann]

great points. what did marucci do that made their bats player friendly?

Players get hits with them. I think it's that simple.

Marucchi has a really nice, clean design also.

[rufusandherschel]

[quote=emann;309214]Players get hits with them. I think it's that simple.

I agree. I seriously doubt that the bat's 'appearance' has much to do with a player's bat selection/choice, but more on the bat's properties/characteristics, e.g., weight, length, feel, etc.

[staindsox]

With a design this ugly, I wonder how it will impact retail sales.

[Carlevv]

I asked a superstar player what he thought of the new design this afternoon. He said he really liked it. We went back and forth about it and he said that last years M9 was a different label compared to the 125 louisville slugger label and nobody cared. He said he had zero problems with the new look and he is a contracted Louisville Slugger player. Im guessing Derek Jeter will tell Louisville Slugger he wont change to the new style. Thats just my gut feeling though.

[jppopma]

Maybe all of the new design details on the bat will help hypnotize pitchers...

Sad to see the "Powerized" go away, especially with the new compression option/method. They really should take advantage of that and make the bone like compression the NEW Powerized (or ultra powerized). If you are known for something, it should be a cornerstone.

[frikativ54]

I know I'm a little late to the party here...But as a casual bat collector, the new LVS design would increase the probability of my buying a gamer next year. It also increases interest and gets people talking - which will help the brand. Besides the one person who said so, how many collectors on here are going to stop buying 2013 bats, because of the change? I bet the design will grow on people.

[tigerdale]

I hope it grows on me....Louisville Sluggers have been far & away my favorite bats to collect.....the look, tradition....everything about them. Ill be anxious to see one for the first time in person.

[sox83cubs84]

I'm not a big fan of the new design, but, if a player offers me one, I'm sure not gonna turn it down!;)

Dave Miedema

[marino13]

I would assume that "stamped date on the knob" will be the difference between REPLICA and PLAYER's model - since there is no 125 reference.

And with the changes - I would doubt that any player would ask to stay with the OLD version (I would prefer the old to the new - but then again, after getting a couple of them, it might grows on me also)

:D