Marucci Sports
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports equipment |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Founder | |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Baseball equipment |
| Owner |
|
| Website | maruccisports.com |
Marucci Sports is an American sports equipment manufacturing company based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It focuses on baseball equipment, specifically producing bats, balls, gloves, batting gloves, batting helmets, and chest protectors. The company was founded as the Marucci Bat Company by LSU Tigers athletic trainer Jack Marucci and former baseball pitcher Kurt Ainsworth in 2003. The company was acquired by the investment firm Compass Diversified Holdings in 2020 and later by Fox Factory for $572 million in 2023.[1][2]
History[edit]
Marucci's bats were the most used in the MLB, with more than 40% of players.
Jack Marucci, LSU Tigers athletic trainer,[3] built his first baseball bat after he unsuccessfully tried to find a suitable one for his son Gino. The bat-making was just a hobby until Marucci associated with two MLB players, Kurt Ainsworth and Joe Lawrence. Ainsworth began recommending Marucci's bat to other players, and in 2009 he became one of Marucci's co-founders.[4]
As of 2013, Marucci bats were used by one-third of Major League Baseball players, like David Ortiz, José Bautista, Albert Pujols, Chase Utley, Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton, and Bryce Harper.[5][3] In a relatively short period of time, Marucci took a large share of the baseball bat market from longtime industry leader Louisville Slugger, with industry tracking publications validating #1 bat in the majors since 2013 by a wide margin.[6][7]
While in 2006 Marucci supplied 4% of MLB players, by 2016 the company supplied 40%, with about 400-500 bats made a day.[3]
In 2020, Marucci Sports was acquired by American investment group Compass Diversified Holdings[8] for USD 200 million.[1]
They have made bats known as the Cat 6, Cat 7, Cat 8, Cat 8 Connect, Cat 9, Cat 9 Connect, and Cat 9 composite for USSSA baseball and BBCOR baseball. They have also made the Marucci F5, Marruci Cat, and Marucci Cat Connect for USA baseball which is mainly used in little league.
References[edit]
- ^ a b Here’s how the Marucci baseball bat biz went from the backyard to the big league by Conor Grant, March 9, 2020
- ^ "Fox Factory Completes Acquisition of Marucci Sports, Enhancing Combined Company's Ability to Deliver Diversified Revenue and Profitable Growth". Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
- ^ a b c Marucci Becomes Iconic As MLB's Favorite Bat by Hunter Atkins on Forbes, 29 Feb 2016
- ^ About Marucci
- ^ Marucci bats got from tool shed to clubhouse one convert at a time by Joe Lemire, 10 Mar 2011
- ^ "The Marucci Story told by Larry King". Marucci Sports. Marucci Sports. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ Glier, Ray (October 1, 2013). "Louisville Slugger losing grip as bat of choice". usatoday.com. Atlanta, Georgia: USA Today. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ "Compass Diversified Holdings to Acquire Baseball Equipment Company Marucci Sports". 9 March 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- LSU article about Marucci Bat Company
- Podcast from Louisiana Public Broadcasting about Marucci Bat Company
- Sports Illustrated article on Marucci
