[throwawaytemp27]

Much of the velocity on a home run comes from the pitch (equal and opposite reaction) rather than the bat speed. So it’s not that easy to hit a home run on a 50 mph pitch.

[llbeansandrice]

This is so incredibly false. They're not throwing +80mph pitches at the MLB home run derby. Batting practice pitches are about 60mph.

[baseballfan]

You are very incorrect: https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/18222/how-does-t...

Incoming speed makes significant difference to exit velocity.

If you were going for max distance, you would want 100 mph pitches.

In home run derby, they are optimizing for ability to get a good repeatable swing with enough power to go over the fence. If they were playing in a park with like 440 ft fence, they would need faster pitches.

[hota_mazi]

That's actually not true.

The distance the ball flies has a lot more to do with bat speed than ball speed (something like 5mph for 1mph, if I recall correctly).

[kdmccormick]

Okay, true. But it should be pretty easy to make contact, at least.

[idontpost]

Conservation of momentum says otherwise -- the faster the ball is going, the more change in momentum it needs, the harder it needs to be hit.

[psd1]

If you want a ball to bounce further off something, throw it harder.

[hota_mazi]

Yes for elastic shocks, but bat to ball is not an elastic hit (well, barely one, to the point where the physics you refer to don't matter).

[lupire]

Or the farther the bast needs to bounce off th ball.