"A hitter who uses a corked bat has more kinetic energy in his or her swing...
which translates into more power."
Jonathan Chrone - NASA Engineer
In addition to the other advantages of using a corked baseball bat, science also provides
evidence that using a corked bat is beneficial to a baseball player. There are two
important facts used to show that corked baseball bats give a hitter a scientific advantage
over non-corked bats. First, a corked-filled bat barrel has less mass than a wood-filled
bat barrel. Secondly, since a corked bat has less mass, a player is now able to swing a bat
significantly faster which adds more velocity to his swing.
Kinetic Energy = ˝ * Mass * (Velocity)^2
It is true that by decreasing the mass of a baseball bat decreases the kinetic energy of a
hitters swing. However, by examining the above formula we notice that the velocity of a
hitter’s swing is a bigger factor in determining the kinetic energy of the swing than mass
is. Since swinging a lighter bat gives a hitter more velocity, a hitter produces greater
kinetic energy with his swing (even though his bat mass is less!). The more kinetic
energy there is in hitter’s swing then the more power there is in a hitter’s swing. The
increased power in a hitter’s swing will translate into more extra base hits and homeruns.
For non power hitters, one thing is for sure… using a corked bat will lead to more base