The Yankees’ new torpedo bats might be here to stay.
Despite many fans’ worries that the bats may be illegal, they do not violate MLB rules.
MLB requires that bats are smooth, round and don’t have diameters or lengths of more than 2.61 inches and 42 inches, respectively.
So, the Yankees’ reallocation of the wood in the bats is within the rules — and they are starting to spread.
Buster Olney reported during “Sunday Night Baseball” that the Braves ordered torpedo bats after the Yankees’ 20-run, nine-homer barrage on Saturday.
The Athletic reported that some teams like the Cubs and Red Sox utilized the bats in spring training, but switched back to the typical bats when the regular season began.
Other teams already have guys who did actually bring the torpedo bats with them past spring training, such as the Blue Jays’ Davis Schneider, the Rays’ Junior Caminero and multiple Twins players, including Ryan Jeffers.
And while the Bombers have five players currently using the new bats, designed by Aaron Leanhardt, a former MIT physicist who served as the club’s major league analyst last season, all of MLB is taking notes.
“It seems like it’s making its way around MLB,” the Angels’ Nicky Lopez told The Athletic. “It’s definitely not just the Yankees. I think we’re gonna see more people — it’s legal. It’s under MLB rules and everything. Just basically moving the sweet spot down. Those balls that you’re getting jammed on, are finding some barrels.”
Lopez spent spring training with the Cubs, where they gave the bats a shot.
YES Network announcer Michael Kay pointed the bats out to viewers during Saturday’s 20-9 Yankees win over the Brewer, during which the Yanks practically barreled every ball possible. Since then, the torpedo bats have been the talk of the town.
“It will get plenty of attention now,” said Tigers manager A.J. Hinch. “The internet has a beautiful way of bringing things to be a big deal. I hadn’t paid a ton of attention to it really until today.”
Hinch and many others may not have turned their attention to the bats until now, but Leanhardt has long worked on the bats.
Former Yankee, Padres outfielder Brandon Lockbridge, recognized that this may finally be the rise of the torpedo bats.
“I guess this is like a turning point,” Lockbridge told The Athletic. “I’ve heard a couple guys chirping around saying, ‘I need you to order me a couple of those torpedo bats.’”
While the bats aren’t for everybody — Aaron Judge, for example, is sticking to the bat-shape that has made him a generational hitter — Anthony Volpe, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt and Austin Wells may have started a polarizing new trend amongst hitters.
