The 2007 Wrath is Mizuno’s new flagship bat for its softball line and it is a combination of new technology and the best elements from the previous Techfire line.
The Wrath 1.20 is Mizuno’s top-of-the-line 100% composite softball bat. It is a 1.20 BPF bat with an end load and marks only the second time Mizuno has made a bat that is not approved for ASA play.
It features Mizuno’s exclusive Complex Composite Construction, a unique combination of Fiber Reinforced Plastic through the entire shell with a Filament Wound Composite pipe inserted into the wall of the barrel. This filament pipe replaces the aluminum layer found in the barrel of previous Techfires with a combination of glass fibers. The FRP shell is tough and resistant to breaking. The FWC pipe maximizes performance by allowing the barrel to flex more than previous Techfires.
The FWC pipe is similar to the barrel construction of the 2006 Envy, but it has been lengthened and improved to provide a measurable 72% more sweet spot in the 2007 Wrath 1.20.
New is Mizuno’s “Active Flex” in the taper, a new design that allows for 8% greater flex through the swing.
It has the same 11-inch barrel that was featured in the Techfire Fury, but it features an increased Sweet Area thanks to the all-composite construction pioneered in the Techfire Blur and improved in the Envy. And like the Envy, Mizuno has given the Wrath a two-tone paint job to help illustrate its “Sweet Area” – the handle and end are black while the barrel is red. The bright color is designed to give the hitter a better idea of the size of the bat’s live hitting surface.
It has the thinnest handle ever in a Mizuno with a rubberized clear plastic end cap and a raised, cushioned synthetic grip. It is available in 34 inches and 26-28 and 30 ounces but swings a little heavy due to its end loading.
We hit the 27 oz. version.
The 2007 Mizuno Wrath 1.20 marks the most dramatic increase in performance from 2006 to 2007 of any bat we tested. Mizuno has taken the Envy, which was a very solid performing 98-mph limit bat, and turned it into the Wrath, which is a 100+ mph bat that performs near the top of the BPF 1.20 standard and compares in every way with the top bats in the industry.
It may even have more distance than most other BPF 1.20 models.
“This is the first Mizuno I have ever liked, great pop and great feel,” said one tester who is currently playing in Conference USSSA, the new Major division in slow pitch. Other comments from B and C tourney players included “The Wrath felt good right away,” “I liked the grip and I liked the pop,” and “All the bats we tested were great, but I think the best for pop was the Wrath.”
Power hitters gravitate to this bat for a couple of reasons. The handle is thin; as part of the Active Flex taper it is designed to add whip, but that is also the preferred power hitter’s shape. The barrel is short; the FWC pipe allows for a large sweet spot even though the barrel is 11”, but the short barrel has always been favored by home run hitters and has been almost extinct since the invention of the composite bat. And it is end loaded; the load helps speed the bat through the hitting zone and also helps move the sweet spot toward the end of the barrel, but it helps pull hitters and power hitters perform more consistently that balanced bats.
Plus the distance is undeniable.
The Wrath has a healthy “crack” sound at impact – it is one of the loudest bats we hit. The cushioned handle, the one used by Mizuno since the 2005 Blur, is still a bone of contention with players either loving it or hating it; there is no middle ground.
Mizuno claims the new taper dramatically increases flex and it seems to be true. They have improved the feel, both while swinging it or just standing still holding it.
This is a bat that anyone can use, but much like high performance golf clubs, the better player will get more benefit. No one will regret using it. However, if you are not a power hitter and are uncomfortable with an end load or short barrel, Mizuno is planning at 14” barrel balanced Wrath later in the year.
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