A Better Bat?

Last May, a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees was locked in a 6-6 tie in the bottom of the seventh inning. That’s when Christian Vazquez—known more for his defensive skills as a catcher than for his batting power—stepped up to the plate. The pitcher threw a pitch and . . . CRACK! Vazquez surprised everyone by smashing a home run out of Fenway Park! The hit won the game for the Sox, and Vazquez was a hero.

It was the first game in which Vazquez used the Axe Bat. Baden Sports, in Renton, Washington, created the new bat to fit more naturally and comfortably in a player’s palms. The Axe Bat’s ergonomic design means that it’s more efficient and safe for people to use.

“The grip allows a batter to focus more on hitting rather than holding on tight to an unusually shaped object,” says Hugh Tompkins, an industrial designer who helped create the Axe Bat. “If you can more comfortably grip a bat, it’s going to give you more control.”

Last May, the Boston Red Sox were playing the New York Yankees. The baseball game was tied 6-6 in the bottom of the seventh inning. Christian Vazquez stepped up to the plate. This catcher is known more for his defensive skills than for his batting power. The pitcher threw a pitch and . . . CRACK! Vazquez surprised everyone by smashing a home run out of Fenway Park! The hit won the game for the Sox. Vazquez was a hero.

It was the first game in which Vazquez used the Axe Bat. Baden Sports, in Renton, Washington, created the new bat. It fits more naturally and comfortably in a player’s palms. The Axe Bat’s ergonomic design makes it more efficient and safe for people to use.

“The grip allows a batter to focus more on hitting rather than holding on tight to an unusually shaped object,” says Hugh Tompkins. He’s an industrial designer who helped create the Axe Bat. “If you can more comfortably grip a bat, it’s going to give you more control.”

In 2016, 31 players on 14 Major League Baseball teams set aside traditional bats in favor of the Axe Bat. Among them were Vazquez’s teammates Dustin Pedroia and Mookie Betts— two of baseball’s superstar hitters. Both players have had improvements in their batting averages since making the switch.

Smaller versions of the Axe Bat in a variety of materials, like aluminum, have also been approved for youth baseball leagues. Tompkins believes the bat’s design could help players, from kids to pros, boost their performance and reduce the risk of common hand injuries.

In 2016, 31 Major League Baseball players switched from traditional bats to the Axe Bat. They’re on 14 different teams. Vazquez’s teammates Dustin Pedroia and Mookie Betts are among them. They’re superstar hitters. Both players have had higher batting averages since making the change.

Smaller forms of the Axe Bat have been approved for youth baseball leagues. They come in different materials, like aluminum. Tompkins believes the bat’s design could help players, from kids to pros. It could boost their performance and lower the risk of common hand injuries.

The shape of the Axe Bat’s handle is the biggest difference from a traditional baseball bat’s design (see Bat Comparison). It has an oval-shaped grip with a flared base, so it fits flush against the contours of a person’s palms and fingers—just like the handle of an ax used for chopping wood.

Baseball bat design hasn’t changed much in 150 years, says Tompkins. That’s because of the rotating machine, called a lathe, used to carve bats. It can make only cylindrical shapes—like traditional round bat handles. With new manufacturing technology, however, Tompkins can customize a bat’s shape. He inputs the measurements for the Axe Bat into computer software, and a machine called a computer numerical control mill uses the data to carve out the irregularly shaped bat.

How is the Axe Bat different from a regular baseball bat? The biggest difference is the shape of the Axe Bat’s handle (see Bat Comparison). It has an oval-shaped grip with a flared base. It fits right up against a person’s palms and fingers. It’s just like the handle of an ax used for chopping wood.

Baseball bat design hasn’t changed much in 150 years, says Tompkins. That’s because bats are carved on a lathe. As this machine rotates, it can make only round shapes—like traditional bat handles. But Tompkins is using new manufacturing technology. It allows him to change a bat’s shape. He inputs the measurements for the Axe Bat into special computer software. Then a machine called a computer numerical control mill uses that data to carve out the unusually shaped bat.

Findings from a study funded by Baden Sports show that batters perform better using the Axe Bat because its ergonomic handle allows for a more relaxed grip. “Because a batter has to squeeze their hand tight to get a good grip around a traditional rounded bat, all of those muscles are under a lot of pressure,” says Tompkins. A looser grip allows a batter to have a freer swing.

“Being comfortable when hitting is the most important thing about swinging,” explains Meredith Wills. She’s a physicist working in sports data science. She is studying how physics can improve baseball performance. Wills says that having a relaxed grip helps the best hitters reproduce the same powerful swing over and over.

Baden Sports funded a study on the Axe Bat. The study found that batters perform better with it. That’s because its ergonomic handle allows for a more relaxed grip. “Because a batter has to squeeze their hand tight to get a good grip around a traditional rounded bat, all of those muscles are under a lot of pressure,” says Tompkins. A looser grip gives a batter a freer swing.

“Being comfortable when hitting is the most important thing about swinging,” explains Meredith Wills. She’s a physicist working in sports data science. She’s studying how physics can improve baseball performance. Wills says that the best hitters have a relaxed grip. This helps them repeat the same powerful swing over and over.

Big-league players try to hit a ball on the bat’s sweet spot. This area on the barrel of the bat has the largest circumference, which means that it is the spot on a bat with the most mass.

When a player swings a bat, the sweet spot gains the most momentum (an object’s mass multiplied by its velocity). The greater the bat’s momentum when it makes contact with the ball, the harder the ball is hit, says Wills. The sweet spot is also located on the side of the bat where the wood grain is strongest. In bats made of maple wood, like the Axe Bat, you can identify the strongest grain by looking for concentric ovals. Hitting the ball at this spot results in the least vibration throughout the bat and, in turn, a harder-hit ball.

Big-league players try to hit a ball on the bat’s sweet spot. This area in the middle of the bat’s barrel has the largest circumference. It’s the part with the most mass.

When a player swings a bat, the sweet spot gains the most momentum. That’s an object’s mass times its velocity. The bat’s momentum when it strikes the ball is key. The greater the momentum, the harder the hit, says Wills. The sweet spot is found on only one side of the bat. It’s where the wood grain is strongest. In bats made of maple wood, like the Axe Bat, it’s easy to find the strongest grain. Just look for ovals going around each other. Hit the ball at this spot, and the least amount of vibration will travel throughout the bat. The result: a harder-hit ball.

The Axe Bat helps players hit the sweet spot more often. Tompkins explains that since there is only one way to grip the Axe Bat, a batter is always swinging the bat’s face, with the sweet spot, toward the ball. This is called one-sided hitting, which he says is more difficult to reproduce with a round-handled bat, because a batter cannot grip it exactly the same way every time.

The Axe Bat helps players hit the sweet spot more often. Tompkins explains that there’s only one way to grip the Axe Bat. That means a batter always swings the bat’s face, with the sweet spot, toward the ball. This is called one-sided hitting. He says it’s more difficult to do this with a round-handled bat. A batter can’t grip it exactly the same way every time.

Not only is the Axe Bat designed to help players perform better, it also reduces the likelihood of injury. “Players get blisters, calluses, bruises, and even broken bones where the knob [of a traditional bat] presses into the hand,” says Tompkins.

The pressure needed to get a firm grip on a bat’s handle and knob causes the most common batting injury: fracturing the hook of the hamate bone, near the pinkie-finger side of the palm (see Baseball Hand Injuries). About 50 active major-league players have broken this bone in their hand at some point during their career. A tight grip also places pressure on the ulnar nerve, which can cause weakness in a batter’s grip and, in turn, less control while swinging.

The Axe Bat isn’t only designed to help players perform better. It also lowers the chance of injury. “Players get blisters, calluses, bruises, and even broken bones where the knob [of a traditional bat] presses into the hand,” says Tompkins.

Pressure is needed to get a firm grip on a bat’s handle and knob. This causes the most common batting injury: fracturing the hook of the hamate bone. It’s near the pinkie-finger side of the palm (see Baseball Hand Injuries). About 50 active major league players have broken this bone during their career. A tight grip also places pressure on the ulnar nerve. This can cause weakness in a batter’s grip. That gives the batter less control while swinging.

Because the handle of the Axe Bat lies flat and is supported throughout the palm and fingers, pressure is dispersed. This reduces the stress on distinct areas of the hand, explains Dr. Melissa Leber, a sports medicine doctor at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

“I think it would cause fewer hand injuries, especially for college and pro athletes who hold a grip very tight,” she says. And while Leber believes that more research should be done to prove the benefits of the Axe Bat, she says that “the bat, handle, and grip appear to be safer than the traditional round grip.”

Tompkins says that younger major-league players have been more willing to try the newly designed bat. “Some veterans may dismiss [the Axe Bat] as a gimmick,” says Tompkins, “but I think once they see other players improving, that will change.”

The Axe Bat’s handle lies flat, and it’s supported throughout the palm and fingers. That means pressure is spread out. This lowers stress on different parts of the hand, explains Dr. Melissa Leber. She’s a sports medicine doctor at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

“I think it would cause fewer hand injuries, especially for college and pro athletes who hold a grip very tight,” she says. Leber believes that more research is needed to prove the benefits of the Axe Bat. But she says that “the bat, handle, and grip appear to be safer than the traditional round grip.”

Not everyone has picked up the new bat. Tompkins says that younger major league players have been more willing to try it. “Some veterans may dismiss [the Axe Bat] as a gimmick,” says Tompkins, “but I think once they see other players improving, that will change.”