Interesting article Streaky. Think a lot if it is marketing. Just look at golf clubs. Always offering more distance but if you were to properly test the difference would be negligible.
Maybe, maybe not with golf clubs. Compare a clubs from 20 years ago to a modern one, the technology will have moved on.
I think it was the Taylormade Burner 2.0 irons that claimed to hit longer than other clubs. This was true as they were altering the angle and shaft length to the next clubs up (e.g a 4 iron Burner would be a competitor's 3 iron).
I don't think you can alter a bat's face angle and handle length
to hit the ball further, its more down to the player, whereas get a decent set of game improvement irons and you will hit the golf ball straighter (and maybe longer)