Laroche's weight

Size/strength does not always equal faster bat speed.

I'm not a physicist or biologist (not even close!) but in all sports players have talked about bulking up and losing speed.  The added bulk slows down their ability to react quickly.  They may ultimately have more power once they "get going", but it takes a longer time to reach that point.

Then there's the whole "quick twitch" muscle thing to factor in.  Many "skinny" players -- Eric Davis comes immediately to mind, and even Hank Aaron, who was certainly not an imposing physical specimen -- generated their power by the pure speed they could get the bat through the zone.  I don't think either player would have benefitted by adding more bulk; it very well could have hindered their quickness with the bat.

Lots of the steroid meatheads are/were behemoths who mash the ball a mile... if they can hit it.  With the increased bulk and better size through science the strikeouts have also increased at an alarming rate.  It could be that the players are stronger, but slower, resulting in less contact.

Sounds like a question for Bill Nye the Science Gy to me!  :-)