It doesn't really seem to help. The pitches have so much movement that you will still swing and miss a ton..and when you do make contact the defense is more likely to make a play. The exit velocity vs. hit probability relationship is so strong that under most situations you have to hit the ball hard. And when you do hit the ball hard, it jacks up your OPS which is the only number anyone is really looking at. It's interesting to watch Vogelbach hit because he has a very compact swing and is pretty good at making contact. But even he ended up on the scrap heap after a relatively short period of struggling. Maybe in the long run we'll see more contact hitters work their way up through the minors, but I suspect MLB will make hitter-friendly rule changes before that happens. I wish they would move the rubber back a foot.