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Can anything defuse Major League Baseball's hottest hitting weapon?
The so-called torpedo bats − the MLB-legal, tailor-made bats with weight distribution toward the barrel − have become the talk of the town after the New York Yankees' offense crushed 15 home runs in their opening weekend series against the Milwaukee Brewers, tying an MLB record. Nine were reportedly hit with the new bats.
Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz added more fuel to the fire when he picked up a torpedo bat for the first time Monday night in a homestand series against the Texas Rangers. The results? De La Cruz went 4-for-5 with two home runs in a 14-3 Reds victory. When asked if he'd use a torpedo bat again, the young superstar just laughed.
It's safe to say torpedo bats have been a hit among MLB players, but what exactly is a torpedo bat? How are they made? Who makes them? And are they legal? Here's everything you need to know about baseball's hottest craze.
According to the MLB, torpedo bats are defined by an untraditional barrel, which rests closer to the hitter's hands. The bats are designed to be skinnier at the top end, with noticeably more wood in the area around the label (where the hitter is most likely to hit the ball) to create a custom sweet spot.
The reconfiguration gives the bat the shape of a torpedo or, as some have pointed out, a bowling pin.
Much of the recent credit for the implementation of torpedo bats has gone to Aaron Leanhardt, a former Yankees front office staffer who is now the Miami Marlins' field coordinator.
Leanhardt, a former physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said he developed the idea while working as the Yankees' assistant Minor League hitting coordinator from 2022-2023. His primary responsibility was to integrate the use of quantitative information with on-field performance and preparation and to serve as a conduit between the analytics department and big league coaching staff.
He became the Yankees’ major league analyst in 2024, and players within the organization soon began using torpedo bats in regular-season games.
"I think the eureka moment, really, was when players pointed to where they were trying to hit the ball, and they noticed themselves that that was not the fattest part of the bat," Leanhardt told the MLB.
The 48-year-old, who holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in physics from MIT, previously coached baseball in the Atlantic League and at a Montana community college, per the MLB.
New York Yankees' slugger Giancarlo Stanton might be remembered as the first player to officially launch the MLB's first torpedo. Other Yankees experimented with the torpedo bat last season, but it was Stanton who "gladly embraced (the) bat that could make his dangerous swing even better," per ESPN.
And it did. Stanton used a torpedo-style bat to crush seven home runs in 14 postseason games during the Yankees' 2024 run to the World Series.
Following its success, torpedo bat models were made available to Yankees player during spring training, and on Opening Day, five members of the starting lineup used the bat to crush a combined nine home runs: Jazz Chisholm Jr. (three), Anthony Volpe (two), Austin Wells (two), Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger (one).
Aaron Judge also hit four home runs over their first three games, but he did so with a traditional bat.
People quickly criticized these bats, but they remain legal as long as they follow MLB Rule 3.02, which states: "The bat shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 2.61 inches in diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length. The base shall be one piece of solid wood."
The rule further specifies that experimental bats cannot be used "until the manufacturer has secured approval from Major League Baseball of his design and methods of manufacture."
So, until the MLB rulebook changes, it looks like torpedo bats are here to stay.
According to ESPN, the Yankees requested sample models of the torpedo-style bat from some of the league's 41 approved manufacturers. The model numbers for the spec bats started with "BP" for "bowling pin," a more accurate description of the bat's shape.
"Torpedo sounds kind of cooler," Leanhardt told ESPN.
Hillerich & Bradsby − the Louisville-based company that makes Louisville Slugger bats − worked with four pro baseball teams for about 18 months to design the torpedo barrel, the Courier Journal reported.
Here are some players who've used a torpedo-style bat so far this season:
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What is a torpedo bat? Is it legal? Who invented it? What to know
Continue reading...
The so-called torpedo bats − the MLB-legal, tailor-made bats with weight distribution toward the barrel − have become the talk of the town after the New York Yankees' offense crushed 15 home runs in their opening weekend series against the Milwaukee Brewers, tying an MLB record. Nine were reportedly hit with the new bats.
Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz added more fuel to the fire when he picked up a torpedo bat for the first time Monday night in a homestand series against the Texas Rangers. The results? De La Cruz went 4-for-5 with two home runs in a 14-3 Reds victory. When asked if he'd use a torpedo bat again, the young superstar just laughed.
It's safe to say torpedo bats have been a hit among MLB players, but what exactly is a torpedo bat? How are they made? Who makes them? And are they legal? Here's everything you need to know about baseball's hottest craze.
You must be registered for see images attach
What is a torpedo bat?
According to the MLB, torpedo bats are defined by an untraditional barrel, which rests closer to the hitter's hands. The bats are designed to be skinnier at the top end, with noticeably more wood in the area around the label (where the hitter is most likely to hit the ball) to create a custom sweet spot.
The reconfiguration gives the bat the shape of a torpedo or, as some have pointed out, a bowling pin.
You must be registered for see images attach
Who invented the torpedo bat?
Much of the recent credit for the implementation of torpedo bats has gone to Aaron Leanhardt, a former Yankees front office staffer who is now the Miami Marlins' field coordinator.
Leanhardt, a former physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said he developed the idea while working as the Yankees' assistant Minor League hitting coordinator from 2022-2023. His primary responsibility was to integrate the use of quantitative information with on-field performance and preparation and to serve as a conduit between the analytics department and big league coaching staff.
He became the Yankees’ major league analyst in 2024, and players within the organization soon began using torpedo bats in regular-season games.
"I think the eureka moment, really, was when players pointed to where they were trying to hit the ball, and they noticed themselves that that was not the fattest part of the bat," Leanhardt told the MLB.
The 48-year-old, who holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in physics from MIT, previously coached baseball in the Atlantic League and at a Montana community college, per the MLB.
When was a torpedo bat first used?
New York Yankees' slugger Giancarlo Stanton might be remembered as the first player to officially launch the MLB's first torpedo. Other Yankees experimented with the torpedo bat last season, but it was Stanton who "gladly embraced (the) bat that could make his dangerous swing even better," per ESPN.
And it did. Stanton used a torpedo-style bat to crush seven home runs in 14 postseason games during the Yankees' 2024 run to the World Series.
Following its success, torpedo bat models were made available to Yankees player during spring training, and on Opening Day, five members of the starting lineup used the bat to crush a combined nine home runs: Jazz Chisholm Jr. (three), Anthony Volpe (two), Austin Wells (two), Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger (one).
Aaron Judge also hit four home runs over their first three games, but he did so with a traditional bat.
Are torpedo bats legal?
People quickly criticized these bats, but they remain legal as long as they follow MLB Rule 3.02, which states: "The bat shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 2.61 inches in diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length. The base shall be one piece of solid wood."
The rule further specifies that experimental bats cannot be used "until the manufacturer has secured approval from Major League Baseball of his design and methods of manufacture."
So, until the MLB rulebook changes, it looks like torpedo bats are here to stay.
Who makes torpedo bats?
According to ESPN, the Yankees requested sample models of the torpedo-style bat from some of the league's 41 approved manufacturers. The model numbers for the spec bats started with "BP" for "bowling pin," a more accurate description of the bat's shape.
"Torpedo sounds kind of cooler," Leanhardt told ESPN.
Hillerich & Bradsby − the Louisville-based company that makes Louisville Slugger bats − worked with four pro baseball teams for about 18 months to design the torpedo barrel, the Courier Journal reported.
Which players have used torpedo bats in 2025 so far?
Here are some players who've used a torpedo-style bat so far this season:
- Elly De La Cruz, SS, Cincinnati Reds
- Jose Trevino, C, Cincinnati Reds
- Adley Rutschman, C, Baltimore Orioles
- Dansby Swanson, SS, Chicago Cubs
- Nico Hoerner, 2B, Chicago Cubs
- Ryan Jeffers, C, Minnesota Twins
- Francisco Lindor, SS, New York Mets
- Cody Bellinger, OF, New York Yankees
- Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B, New York Yankees
- Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, New York Yankees
- Anthony Volpe, SS, New York Yankees
- Austin Wells, C, New York Yankees
- Junior Caminero, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays
- Davis Schneider, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What is a torpedo bat? Is it legal? Who invented it? What to know
Continue reading...
