If by whip the barrel you mean to move it quickly then a better description would be to accelerate the bat. If by whip you mean that the barrel is jerked through the zone then that is just fundamentally wrong. Either way, using the term “whip the bat” does not accurately describe the continuous flow of the swing. I agree with you that wrists locked by holding the bat tightly or by the elbows held up high will inhibit the swing, however it appears your premise is that the wrists/hands add force to the swing. All the energy of the swing is generated by torquing the hips and core around the axis; the wrists/hands keep the bat on plane but do not add power to the swing and are essentially just along for the ride.
Less than 80-50 degrees for the bat lag is optimal. Anything > 90 is a long swing,
If by whip the barrel you mean to move it quickly then a better description would be to accelerate the bat. If by whip you mean that the barrel is jerked through the zone then that is just fundamentally wrong. Either way, using the term “whip the bat” does not accurately describe the continuous flow of the swing. I agree with you that wrists locked by holding the bat tightly or by the elbows held up high will inhibit the swing, however it appears your premise is that the wrists/hands add force to the swing. All the energy of the swing is generated by torquing the hips and core around the axis; the wrists/hands keep the bat on plane but do not add power to the swing and are essentially just along for the ride.