The 100% composite 2008 Wrath Extended 120 is the next step on the evolutionary path of the Wrath Techfire line of slow pitch bats. It adds a new resin to the 2007 formula that improves the strength of the carbon fibers, increasing durability without sacrificing performance.
It also uses Extended technology, adding three inches to the original Wrath barrel design creating more hitting area. It is balance weighted.
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. The FRP shell is resistant to breaking; the FWC pipe maximizes performance by allowing the barrel to flex easily.
It uses the Active Flex taper design increasing the flex of the bat near the handle and improving feel.
It is available in 34” and 26-29 ounces.
We hit the 27 ounce model.
The third Mizuno Wrath follows the original Wrath short barrel end-loaded and Wrath II long barrel balanced models. It takes what was good from those two and addresses what had been those bats’ biggest weakness.
The 2008 Extended 1.20 is colored like the 2007 Wrath 1.20 with its red and black shell and visible technology in the handle. It shares the same shape and weighting as the 2007-and-a-half Wrath II 1.20, with a 14” barrel and balanced load.
The biggest problem with those first two models was they came out of the wrapper hot and short-lived; a number of the 2007 models we saw broke before the end of the season and waiting for the replacement to arrive meant having to use a different bat, sometimes for weeks at a time, something that made players we know who loved the Wrath feel the need to turn to other models. The 2008 Extended uses a new resin that appears to have taken care of that problem.
The Extended still comes out of the wrapper hot – testers were able to hit the ball over the fence long before they could have had the chance to get used to the bat or have it break in at all. It doesn’t add distance to weak swings, but it does accentuate the things a given batter does well: home run hitters picked it right up and started hitting home runs; power hitters picked it up and started driving wicked liners into the gaps; and singles hitters picked it up and started pulling, pushing and middling the ball at will.
It seems to have better pop than the Wrath II, but it isn’t necessarily a power-hitter’s model. It is simply easy to swing: its Active Flex technology increases the flex of the handle during the swing, but it also enhances the feel, something that is harder to do in a two-piece bat. If you need the flex to get the barrel around faster and add distance to your shot you may, but if you’d rather punch the ball over the infield or slap it into the opposite field you can do that too. The bat provides the power hitter with the pop he needs to reach the fence and provides the touch hitter with the feel he needs to move the ball from left to right regardless of pitch location.
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