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Long read: The bat, man: Cardinals Goldschmidt swings new lab-designed, custom-crafted bat worth the weight

Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt posted a 1.020 OPS over the second half last year. Over the offseason he added a new weapon: a custom crafted bat, designed to increase his bat speed.

“We’re looking for subtle changes,” he said. “As much as you’d like to go, man, I’m going to hit the ball 5 mph harder, I just don’t know if that’s realistic. But if every year, or throughout the year, you’re looking to get a little bit better in a number of ways, you can make changes. There’s always a new guy coming into the league who is trying to get better.”

Goldschmidt said he would have explored the bat-fitting earlier in his career if the concept had been available. He likened visiting a lab in Baton Rouge and its advanced tech to any tool a player has — as important as dining with veterans and seeking advice was when he was younger or the cage work with coaches has always been.

A successful hitter seeks any improvement he can get his hands on.

“You have to adapt,” Goldschmidt said. “That’s what I’m trying to do. If there’s something that can potentially help, you’ve got to do it.”

Read the full story by Derrick Goold at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.


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