This is why there were no maple bats until just a few years ago. Most players understood the simple physics and were unwilling to increase their chances of hurting a fellow player for a slight increase in batting performance.
Even players who accidentally ruined the career of another player felt such guilt that their performance often dropped below the performance where they could effectively compete in the major leagues. The best example was pitcher Jack Hamilton who lost control of a pitch which badly injured Tony Conigliaro of the Boston Red Sox. Once it became clear that Tony C. was not going to make a full recovery, Jack Hamilton's own performance dropped to the point that he was no longer able to pitch at the major league level as well.
The notable exception to this rule was Carl Mays, the New York Yankee pitcher who killed Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman with an errant pitch in 1920. Mays seemed unfazed by the whole affair and went on to produce hall of fame quality statistics the remainder of his career. However, he was never voted into the hall because of lingering questions over his character, including his apparent lack of remorse over the pitch which killed Ray Chapman.
They say baseball is a reflection of American culture and I tend to agree. The me-first and damn the consequences to others attitude is now prevalent in the game because it is so prevalent in our society.
Thank you. Most interesting.