“MLB Players Under Scrutiny for Using Unconventional Torpedo Bats”
The New York Yankees are creating a buzz in the 2025 MLB season. Their recent offensive outburst saw them hitting 15 home runs and scoring 36 runs in just three games, raising questions about the unique bats used by their hitters. Torpedo bats have become a trend throughout the league, with opinions divided on their impact. While some players are open to trying out these bats, others consider them controversial. Non-Yankees fans, in particular, are upset by this development.
Players who have adopted torpedo bats speak highly of their performance. The distinguishing feature of a torpedo bat is its shape, with a thicker sweet spot or barrel that tapers towards the top, resembling a bowling pin. Despite their unconventional appearance, torpedo bats are within MLB regulations.
Physicist Aaron Leanhardt from MIT is credited with inventing the torpedo bats. Previously associated with the Yankees as a hitting analyst, Leanhardt joined the Miami Marlins as a field coordinator in the offseason. The concept of torpedo bats emerged after analyzing Yankees’ shortstop Anthony Volpe’s swing data, revealing that his contact point was often near the bat’s thin end. To enhance Volpe’s performance, the team designed bats that concentrated more wood near the contact point to improve his hitting, as explained by Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay.
Yankees player Jazz Chisholm Jr. shared insights on torpedo bats, emphasizing the goal of optimizing the wood distribution to enhance contact rates. While Volpe and a few teammates are using torpedo bats in 2025, the Yankees are not alone in exploring this new bat shape. Notable players from various teams using torpedo bats this season include:
– 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
While the Yankees’ use of torpedo bats was known, players from other teams have also adopted them in 2025. Confirmed users include Orioles’ catcher Adley Rutschman, Blue Jays’ outfielder Davis Schneider, Twins’ catcher Ryan Jeffers, and Rays’ promising player Junior Caminero. The Cubs, who experimented with torpedo bats last season, have Swanson and Hoerner among their hitters using them this year. Despite being seen with a torpedo bat, Mets’ star Francisco Lindor has struggled at the plate, going 0-for
Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas does not seem to be wielding a torpedo bat, but rather a similar one. There are differing opinions on whether the torpedo bats played a role in the Yankees’ strong start to the season. Five Yankees players used torpedo bats in games against the Milwaukee Brewers and performed exceptionally well, hitting a total of nine home runs in the first three games. Aaron Judge, who does not use a torpedo bat, stood out by hitting four home runs in those matchups. It remains uncertain if the Yankees’ success was primarily due to their bats or a combination of factors such as the small ballpark and the Brewers’ pitching struggles. However, fans of Major League Baseball should soon have a clearer picture. Following New York’s impressive offensive display at the beginning of the season, it is likely that torpedo bats will become more prevalent in clubhouses across the league.
