Yeah, it's like just ignoring the actual conclusions. I mean, it's easier to hit and then it hits less hard, which is actually good because professional baseball players generally hit it out of the park when they get a good hit. So the conclusion is actually completely opposite what the title of the article is - it's not the same. It is a substantial improvement.
The moment I saw “slight difference in location of sweet spot” I knew the bat would have tremendous real-world impact even if the robots couldn’t hit any better.
Disappointing article. As another commenter mentioned, the very last sentence of the article reveals a potentially positive impact on batting average, which is extremely relevant to how well a bat works! But this seems to be ignored by the conclusion of both the researchers and the article, which focuses on hitting power.
Imagine writing a whole article like this and only including one really unclear photo with a distracting background and not indicating which bat is which in the photo.
Yeah, it's like just ignoring the actual conclusions. I mean, it's easier to hit and then it hits less hard, which is actually good because professional baseball players generally hit it out of the park when they get a good hit. So the conclusion is actually completely opposite what the title of the article is - it's not the same. It is a substantial improvement.
The moment I saw “slight difference in location of sweet spot” I knew the bat would have tremendous real-world impact even if the robots couldn’t hit any better.
Modern 2026 click bait:
1. Provide “distinct” proof 2. Title it as the antithesis
Disappointing article. As another commenter mentioned, the very last sentence of the article reveals a potentially positive impact on batting average, which is extremely relevant to how well a bat works! But this seems to be ignored by the conclusion of both the researchers and the article, which focuses on hitting power.
the last sentence is part of a paragraph specifying it "might" be better for "some players who like to hit the ball closer in"
not really ignored when it's in the article. the researchers themselves are quoted saying the results are incredibly close.
This is just the most oxymoronic article. It’s like it knew we would all be like… wait.
Imagine writing a whole article like this and only including one really unclear photo with a distracting background and not indicating which bat is which in the photo.
> “Wood is wood,” said Smith
Ahh, finally. A definitive answer!
Very ugly bat. Poor aesthetics for baseball.
So... The Torpedo Bat is basically the Placebo Bat?
The end of the article notes several very real changes in behavior, including being more likely to get a hit, which is significant.
And it compares equal weight bats. If the torpedo bat allows you to use a lighter bat, that will increase your swing speed.
they compared equal _swing_ weight bats. so actually in their experiment the torpedo bat was heavier.