Roy Hobbs, the fabled swinger of his beloved “Wonderboy,” might disagree. But there really is no such thing as a “magic bat.” When MLB hitters select their sticks, they must make certain compromises.

By now, you’ve probably heard about baseball’s greatest innovation since the curveball: MLB’s new “torpedo” bat, the reconfigured bat that moves the barrel — or the sweet spot — closer to the handle, seemingly turning even the most meager of hitters into home run machines.