The Pro-XR ergonomic design aligns the angle of the knob to the natural motion of the batters hands throughout the entire swing. We tested the Pro-XR knob against other standard knobs and found that the ergonomic design of Pro-XR actually reduced destabilizing pressure to the hand by almost 25%. By effectively reducing pressure to the hand the Pro-XR actually gives batters a pure, smooth, seamless swing – no speed bumps. Pro-XR ergonomic bat technology turns batters into hitters with the smoothest swing in baseball.

Mike Hessman steps to the plate for the first hit with the ProXR™ bat

The First Angled-Knob Bat Ever Used in an MLB Game Goes to Cooperstown.

ST. LOUIS (Oct. 13, 2011) – Two baseball bats featuring an ergonomically correct angled knob were recently accepted into The National Baseball Hall of Fame. The bats were first used in an official MLB competition on Sept. 5, 2010 by then New York Mets infielder, Mike Hessman, who hit a double to the left field wall at Wrigley Field in a game against the Chicago Cubs.

“I’m shocked and excited. It’s a blessing to be part of history. I’m glad I decided to use it that day,” said Hessman after learning of the significance of his stand-up double with the new ProXR design. “The bat felt great in the game. You always feel better when the bat feels good in your hand,” said Hessman. Five days after Hessman’s hit, Milwaukee Brewers’ Prince Fielder successfully used the same ProXR angled knob technology in a series of games.

St. Louis-based designer and inventor Grady Phelan developed the patented ProXR™ angled-knob bat technology to improve grip, performance and bat speed.  “Seeing Mike Hessman hit a double with my ProXR bat was tremendous validation for this new design. Having that bat accepted into the Baseball Hall of Fame is a huge honor,” said Phelan.

The ProXR angled-knob bats that were accepted into the Baseball Hall of Fame are 33.5 inches in length, weigh 31 ounces, and are all-black custom finished maple bats produced by Wisconsin-based RockBats, LLC. Interestingly, these bats bear the name of New York Mets starting catcher Josh Thole. Thole brought the two bats to batting practice at the start of the Cubs series where Hessman first tried them.

The creation and development of the ProXR angled-knob started in 2004 after a bat slipped from Phelan’s hands, nearly hitting his youngest son. Since then, Phelan has refined and tested the ProXR design with players at all levels of baseball. He has conducted testing at a prestigious medical university to determine the efficacy of the ergonomic design and has recently made the bats available for sale to the public. The ProXR angled-knob bat design was approved for use in professional and collegiate baseball in 2006.

The ProXR design was granted a U.S. patent, #7,744,497 on June 29, 2010.  Most recently, Phelan’s ProXR bats were awarded “Best New Product of 2011” at January’s American Baseball Coaches Association convention.

For more information regarding the ProXR angled-knob bat, visit www.proxr.com

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Michael, Grady & Brian Phelan Man The ProXR Booth At The ABCA

“This Best of Show recognition from the ABCA convention confirms that ProXR is the real deal,” said Grady Phelan, developer of the ProXR bat technology.  “Now we’re eager to get the bat into the hands of more players so they can discover what the smoothest swing in baseball feels like.”

New designs and innovations that challenge the status quo of traditional baseball equipment, especially with something as sacred as the baseball bat, face extraordinary scrutiny and skepticism from players, coaches and baseball purists. But as a new design that received its U.S. patent in 2010, the ProXR bat knob has experienced unprecedented acceptance at the highest level of baseball. This past season ProXR was successfully used in major league games by New York Mets Mike Hessman and Milwaukee Brewers All-Star power hitter Prince Fielder.

“A standard bat knob acts like a speed bump to a batter’s swing by causing excessive pressure and compression in the batter’s bottom hand,” said Phelan. “The ProXR bat knob is ergonomically designed to work with the hands through the entire swing and dramatically reduce the speed bump effect. This enables batters to achieve their most effective and natural swing with quicker hands, better plate coverage and more precise control.  All of this translates into better cuts, more power and stronger at-bats.”

Click here to read the complete article from Collegiate Baseball.

New Bat Technology Delivers Performance and Improved Safety

ST. LOUIS (Sept. 29, 2010) – One of America’s most sacred pieces of sports equipment, the baseball bat, is no longer just a stick with a knob on it. It’s now a high-tech, ergonomically correct extension of the batter’s hands.

On Sept. 5th, a new kind of baseball bat was used in a game between the Chicago Cubs and the New York Mets at Wrigley Field.  Mets utility infielder Mike Hessman became the first player in baseball history to use a bat with an ergonomically correct, angled knob in a professional baseball game. In the eighth inning, Hessman, using a bat with the Pro-XR angled knob, lined a pitch to the left-center field wall for a stand-up double in a game that saw the Mets win 18 to 5. Five days later at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Prince Fielder of the Brewers, became the second player to hit with the Pro-XR angled knob in a game. Fielder lined a single to left center and later narrowly missed a home run with a towering shot to the right field wall. Many players have used the Pro-XR angled knob in batting practice and have placed orders for the bat. Others are expressing interest in getting their hands on the new high-performance bat.

The Pro-XR angled knob is the patented brainchild of Grady Phelan, a St. Louis-based, self-confessed serial creative and entrepreneur. Phelan developed the angled knob to improve grip and reduce hand injuries such as bruising and the common broken hamate.  Phelan discovered batters get quicker hands, better plate coverage and more precise control of their swing, which translates into more power. And because the angled knob is aligned with the wood grain of the bat, players will break fewer bats simply because they know, by feel, if their hands are properly aligned with the bat.  The end result is a new high performance bat, the first innovation in bats since 1972, when José Cardenal of the St. Louis Cardinals introduced the cupped end of the barrel to remove weight and improve the sweet spot of the bat.

“We’re extremely pleased with the response from major league players to the angled knob, especially since it’s so different from anything they’ve ever used,” said Phelan. “We thought it would take much longer for the bat to be used in games.  Getting the angled knob into the batters box in such a short time is a big step forward for us.”

The rapid acceptance and use of the Pro-XR design at the major league level paves the way for amateur and recreational players to have access to the Pro-XR angled knob in the near future. Phelan is licensing the patented Pro-XR angled knob technology to bat companies interested in featuring the angled knob as an option for their bats. “We developed, patented and launched a totally new concept in bat design with better performance and improved safety – it’s a first in baseball. Now that the bat has passed the big test of being used in major league games, we’re focusing on meeting future demand,” said Phelan.

For more information regarding the Pro-XR angled knob, visit www.proxr.com

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MAJOR LEAGUERS STEP UP TO THE PLATE WITH REVOLUTIONARY NEW BASEBALL BAT FEATURING PRO-XR ANGLED KNOB
New Bat Technology Delivers Performance and Improved Safety

ST. LOUIS (Sept. 28, 2010) – One of America’s most sacred pieces of sports equipment, the baseball bat, is no longer just a stick with a knob on it. It’s now a high-tech, ergonomically correct extension of the batter’s hands.
On Sept. 5th, a new kind of baseball bat was used in a game between the Chicago Cubs and the New York Mets at Wrigley Field.  Mets utility infielder Mike Hessman became the first player in baseball history to use a bat with an ergonomically correct, angled knob in a professional baseball game. In the eighth inning, Hessman, using a bat with the Pro-XR angled knob, lined a pitch to the left-center field wall for a stand-up double in a game that saw the Mets win 18 to 5. Five days later at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Prince Fielder of the Brewers, became the second player to hit with the 
Pro-XR angled knob in a game. Fielder lined a single to left center and later narrowly missed a home run with a towering shot to the right field wall. Many players have used the Pro-XR angled knob in batting practice and have placed orders for the bat. Others are expressing interest in getting their hands on the new high-performance bat.
The Pro-XR angled knob is the patented brainchild of Grady Phelan, a St. Louis-based, self-confessed serial creative and entrepreneur. Phelan developed the angled knob to improve grip and reduce hand injuries such as bruising and the common broken hamate.  Phelan discovered batters get quicker hands, better plate coverage and more precise control of their swing, which translates into more power. And because the angled knob is aligned with the wood grain of the bat, players will break fewer bats simply because they know, by feel, if their hands are properly aligned with the bat.  The end result is a new high performance bat, the first innovation in bats since 1972, when José Cardenal of the St. Louis Cardinals introduced the cupped end of the barrel to remove weight and improve the sweet spot of the bat.
“We’re extremely pleased with the response from major league players to the angled knob, especially since it’s so different from anything they’ve ever used,” said Phelan. “We thought it would take much longer for the bat to be used in games.  Getting the angled knob into the batters box in such a short time is a big step forward for us.”
The rapid acceptance and use of the Pro-XR design at the major league level paves the way for amateur and recreational players to have access to the Pro-XR angled knob in the near future. Phelan is licensing the patented Pro-XR angled knob technology to bat companies interested in featuring the angled knob as an option for their bats. “We developed, patented and launched a totally new concept in bat design with better performance and improved safety – it’s a first in baseball. Now that the bat has passed the big test of being used in major league games, we’re focusing on meeting future demand,” said Phelan.

For more information regarding the Pro-XR angled knob, visit www.proxr.com
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The kind of wood, the brand of bat and how you hold it are personal preferences. But if you, like the majority of ball players, hold the bat down on the knob, you’re not getting the most out of your swing. The knob is stealing your power potential every time you take a cut and until now, you didn’t have a choice.

This is what the knob does to your swing.

If you watch slow motion replays of batters during games, you can see it every time a player takes a swing. Just at the point of contact, as the batter extends the bat, their front elbow lifts ever so slightly skyward and their bottom wrist bends awkwardly. Their hand is being forced to roll over the knob which is taking power and accuracy away from their swing.

It’s not rocket science – just applied ergonomics. We tested the difference between a standard bat knob and our patented Pro-XR knob in a medical lab. The results showed a 20 percent reduction in pressure to the palm of the hand. Removing the speed bump from your swing allows the hands to naturally follow through and the result is the smoothest swing in baseball.  Ask your bat rep or sporting goods bat expert about the Pro-XR technology – your best swing is coming soon!

If you crack the handle of your wood bat but don’t break it completely, don’t toss it in the fire just yet. Lightly moisten the broken area with water, press in a generous amount of wood glue (Gorilla Glue is good stuff), then clamp it, wipe off the excess glue and let it set overnight.

In the morning, tape the crack on the handle, then tape the barrel with one layer of athletic tape. Next, apply a layer of tape with pennies, spaced every 1/2 inch. Start taping one and a half inches from the end of the barrel working your way down about eight to ten inches – use about 50 to 70 pennies depending on your weight preference. Make sure you overlap the tape one half an inch on each rotation and then tape the final layer to secure the pennies. Oh yea, “heads up” on the pennies, meaning stick them facing the tape – it just makes cents.

Now you’ve got a well-balanced, weighted bat to take your practice cuts and do your tee work with – don’t take regular batting practice with a repaired bat though. You can always add pennies to a regular bat if you want to take batting practice with a weighted bat. Your teammates will be all over your new warm-up bat.

Thanks to John Allman for sharing his innovation with us.

Yesterday, I got to practice early and was watching the last few players take batting practice in the cages. One of my son’s teammates asked to borrow one of his bats – a pro-grade wood bat given to him by an Indians minor leaguer who he takes lessons with. The kid stepped into the batters box, looked at the bat, checked the label, set his grip and took some cuts. Interestingly, he did the same thing I’ve seen major leaguers do during batting practice and even in games. After each hit, he carefully rolled the bat in his hands about a quarter of a turn – perfectly following the written instructions included with every metal bat.

The sound of flat-grain contact on the ash bat was clearly flat and lacked the crisp pop you hear when an ash bat properly hits a ball on the edge-grain. I subtly pointed this out to my son who promptly stopped the coach from pitching and stepped in to explain the “label-up” requirement of hitting with wood. The batter was a bit confused by this “label-always up or down” approach to hitting but accepted the advice and got back in the box. After a few more swings, he began to roll the bat in his hands again, a habit that almost cost my son another one of his bats. Fortunately, the bat survived and the label-up lesson continued while they packed up their gear.

Here are the three most important things young players need to know about hitting with wood:

1.       Always start with the label facing up. After a few solid contacts, check your barrel to see where you are making contact with the ball. If the marks are closer to the label, slightly roll the label away from the marks next time you hit. If the marks are more to the back of the barrel, rotate the label slightly forward. Pay close attention to where the label is, so you make consistent contact with the side of the barrel.

2.       The “sweet spot” on a wood bat is, generally speaking, roughly four inches long verses six to seven on metal and starts about two and a half inches from the end of the barrel, depending on the bat. The goal is to consistently hit on the sweet spot.

3.       To help your wood bat last longer, tape the barrel with athletic tape and mark the side where the label is. Also, try to avoid hitting rubber batting cage balls with your wood bat, they tend to dish out a lot of abuse to wood. You’ll still break a few bats during practice sessions but far fewer when you tape and hit with standard baseballs.

Practicing with wood makes player’s better hitters since the sweet spot of a wood bat is so much smaller than a metal bat. Players learn to avoid the sting of hitting off the end or the handle and become much more accurate and consistent hitters over time. Hitting with wood bats is a fine art – just remember to admire the artistic label on the bat before you take your cuts.

Your bat shouldn't do this to your most important tools.

We met this player while testing the Pro-XR with a team from a local junior college (National Champions the prior year). The knob on his $300 high-performance bat had worn through his batting glove and opened up a 1/8” deep hole in the heel of his hand – and this was only the first week of spring training! Bad luck? Poor swing mechanics? We don’t think so.

Want to see more evidence that bats are injuring players? Here’s a link to a Google image search for “broken hamate”. Check it out. Then ask yourself if you’re prepared for surgery and 6 weeks in rehab because your bat crushed your hamate.

Oversized, bell-shaped, flared, wood or metal – the knob of every bat you’ve ever owned performs the same way. Those bats weren’t designed to work with your hand, they were designed to be made on a lathe. Technology that basically hasn’t changed in over two hundred years! Get your hands on the future of baseball now, get your hands on a Pro-XR.

Five Reasons Your Bat Is Beating Up Your Hands

1. Your hands are meant to hold the bat, not fight with the knob

2. Standard knobs are limited by old technology, not ergonomics

3. You need quality time in the cage but your bat needs to be replaced

4. Gloves can’t protect your hands from this kind of abuse

5. You never knew any better – until now!

Share your story about your hand injury. You never know, you may get a free bat if we like it enough.

A smooth swing is only the beginning with Pro-XR. No other bat gives players the power, control, stability and plate coverage like Pro-XR. Our patented knob technology works with your hands, through the entire swing, allowing you to drive the bat through the hitting zone. By angling the knob, we’ve eliminated the speed-bump effect all other bat knobs cause.

Pro-XR Ergonomic Bat, US Patent Pending