POWER

Power is a measure of energy and how that energy is transferred into the ball at contact. Power correlates with speed, but also includes other factors such as the mass and acceleration of the bat. The overall Power score consists of three parts: Applied Power, Max Acceleration, and Impact Momentum.
Applied Power
The Science Behind It:
The amount of power – measured in watts – that is applied to the bat during the swing by the hands and body.
What It Means For Hitters:
Higher Applied Power causes the bat to reach a higher momentum more quickly which allows for the batter to hit the ball further. Additionally, more Applied Power allows the hitter to start the swing later, which gives the hitter more time to make swing decisions. This is especially important when facing pitchers with higher pitch velocities.
What It Means For Coaches:
Since the distance a ball travels after contact depends on barrel speed at impact and the weight of the bat, more Applied Power during the swing means that it takes the batter less time to reach their Max Barrel Speed.
Furthermore, more Applied Power means the batter is transferring more energy from his body to the bat, and then to the ball. This will result in more bat speed and ultimately more power.
Real World Similarity
Cars with higher powered engines go from 0-60 MPH faster than cars with lower powered engines. A batter that generates more Applied Power during a swing would have a “higher powered swing engine”, allowing the bat to reach a higher swing speed more quickly.
DK Pro Tip:
Hitters can improve their Applied Power by moving the lower body in sequence with the upper body
Max Acceleration
The Science Behind It:
Maximum Acceleration captures how quickly a batter speeds up their swing from the start until impact and correlates directly with the force and torque applied to the bat.
What It Means For Hitters:
Higher Max Acceleration allows hitters to start the swing later – allowing more time to make swing decisions – but still produce a high rate of bat speed and momentum.
What It Means For Coaches:
By applying more force and torque (higher Max Acceleration), hitters can get their bat up to speed more quickly, giving the hitter more time to make swing decisions.
Real World Similarity
When two cars accelerate from 0 to 60 MPH, the car with the highest acceleration gets to 60 MPH more quickly. A hitter with a higher acceleration rate from the start of the swing to contact can wait longer to identify a pitch, allowing more time to make swing decisions.
DK Pro Tip
Higher Max Acceleration will allow a hitter to get their bat up to speed more quickly, generating more exit velocity after squaring up a ball. A bat that is too heavy could negatively impact the Max Acceleration of a swing.
Impact Momentum
The Science Behind It:
Impact Momentum is the amount of momentum in the bat when contact is made. Impact Momentum is determined by barrel speed at contact, and the weight of the bat.
What It Means For Hitters:
The higher the Impact Momentum, the further the ball will travel after contact.
For every additional +1 of Impact Momentum, the batter increases exit velocity by + ~1.5 mph. For balls with a HR trajectory, every + ~1.5 mph of exit velo = + ~10 feet of carry.
With this in mind, the difference between an Impact Momentum score of 24 and one of 25 is + ~1.5 mph of exit velocity and + ~10 feet of carry for a home run trajectory fly ball.
What It Means For Coaches:
This measure is the one most closely associated with the power of the hitter. This is because higher momentum directly relates to further hit balls.
Real World Similarity
If a sports car and a dump truck are both moving at 60 MPH, the dump truck – the heavier object – has more momentum than the sports car. If two hitters have the same swing speed, the hitter with the heavier weighted bat would have more momentum and be able to hit the ball further.
DK Pro Tip
A heavier bat can lead to higher momentum, exit velocity, and distance on the ball, but the bat should not be heavy enough that the hitter loses significant barrel speed.