Torpedo Bats and How Their Effect on Baseball

Liam Koch, Contributing Writer

The New York Yankees have been causing a storm in baseball after their new bats led them to a combined 9 home runs against the Milwaukee Brewers. But what’s been causing the Yankees’ sudden home run storm?

Many people are putting this offensive dominance on the Yankees’ new bats. Over the offseason, the Yankees worked to develop a new type of bat. This new bat, called “Torpedo bats,” has moved some of the material from the bat’s tip closer to the middle. The goal is to increase the density of the “sweet spot.” The hope is that by increasing the density there, when a hitter connects with the ball in that spot, the ball will be hit harder and go farther. 

Many players are adopting these bats after the Yankees’ game against the Brewers. Elly De La Cruz, the superstar shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds, has picked one up. And in his first game with one, he went 4 for 5 with 2 home runs against the Texas Rangers. After the game, in an interview, he said, “I just wanted to know if it felt good, and it does.”

There remains the question of whether they do make it easier to hit home runs. Aaron Judge, one of the best hitters in baseball, who plays for the Yankees, does not use one. Despite this, he is still fighting to break the record for most home runs. While the bat might make the ball go farther, the ball isn’t going to go anywhere if it doesn’t get hit. A torpedo bat won’t suddenly make a player able to completely dominate the league unless they can already hit the ball well. So, even if that sweet spot is bigger, it won’t prevent a batter from swinging and missing and striking out. 

We’ve seen this already. The Yankees aren’t dominating the scene, they’re 8 – 6. And, while they are leading their division at the moment, there are a bunch of teams with better records. The torpedo bats aren’t making the Yankees an unstoppable team. 

One of the first responses to these bats was the major question of if they are legal. MLB is very strict with their gear, as previous changes to equipment have caused major changes. However, MLB has declared that these bats are perfectly legal. Because of this, anyone is allowed to use them and add them to their arsenal.

However, not everyone is convinced. As stated previously, Aaron Judge isn’t picking up one of these bats, and a few other teams aren’t convinced. Shohei Ohtani, one of the greatest hitters and players in baseball, doesn’t use one and has no plans to add one to his arsenal. So, while some players are deciding to pick it up, a lot of players don’t see it as a magical cure to batting issues. 

Overall, Torpedo bats are not going to completely change Baseball forever. They will be useful to some players who are struggling to hit balls out of the park, but to others, they won’t change anything. So, at the end of the day, it’s just a new strategy that pitchers will have to get used to.