Why everyone in baseball is talking about ‘torpedo’ bats
The New York Yankees turned heads during their season-opening homestand, tying a major-league record with 15 home runs in their first three games of a season, with some players using a ‘torpedo’ bat.
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Torpedo bats The New York Yankees turned heads during their season-opening homestand, tying a major-league record with 15 home runs in their first three games of a season, with some players using a ‘torpedo’ bat.
Paul Goldschmidt of the New York Yankees using a ‘torpedo’ bat during the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 1, 2025 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
What is the ‘torpedo’ bat? The ‘torpedo’ bat – named due to its shape resembling a torpedo – is a customized bat that tailors the barrel for each hitter. The bat moves wood lower down the barrel after the label. The idea is to bring more mass to a bat’s sweet spot. A torpedo bat is pictured here, on the left, next to a normal bat, on the right. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
Who invented it? The torpedo bat is the brainchild of Aaron Leanhardt, a former MIT physicist and ex-Yankees coach, who now works for the Miami Marlins. Leanhardt said the idea was driven by the players as he noticed a common concern voiced from batters who wanted to make more, and better, contact with pitches. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Why doesn’t every team use it? Although the Yankees’ performances are driving the ‘torpedo’ bat narrative, they are not the only team dabbling in its use. Minnesota Twins’ catcher Ryan Jeffers and the Tampa Bay Rays’ Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz were also spotted using ‘torpedo’ bats in Spring Training and over opening weekend. Players from around the league also started testing them out last season. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Are they allowed? MLB’s bat regulations are fairly lax. The ‘torpedo’ bats remain legal so long as they follow MLB Rule 3.02 which states: ‘The bat shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 2.61 inches (6.62 cm) in diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches (106.68 cm) in length. The bat shall be one piece of solid wood.’ (The Canadian Press/Thomas Skrlj)
Torpedo bats 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 unless anything is changed in the MLB rulebook, the bats look like they’re here to stay. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)
What are the players saying? Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Davis Schneider has two of the torpedo bats and used one in an at-bat in the opening series against the Baltimore Orioles (he did not get a hit).
‘It feels good,’ Schneider said. ‘You’ve still got to square up the ball, you’ve still got to be on time with everything so it’s not like it’s a cheat code or anything or that. It’s still a bat. It’s not that big a deal, in my opinion.’ (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)
Torpedo bats Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer plans to stick with his existing bat. ‘I’ve used the same bat my whole career,” he said. “I don’t think I’m going to go away from the one that I like.’ (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
Torpedo bats Blue Jays relief pitcher Jeff Hoffman isn’t too concerned. ‘My plan is for them to miss it … If they’re hitting it, I’m not doing my job,’ he said. ‘I don’t care what they’re using,’ he added. ‘They could use a boat oar if they want.’ (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
Torpedo bats Baseball’s ‘torpedo’ bat mania now has a Canadian bat company scrambling to keep up with requests for the unusual-looking bat.
Quebec-based bat manufacturer B45 has been inundated with calls and messages from players eager to get their hands on one. ‘Interest has been crazy. Demand has been crazy,’ said Marie-Pier Gosselin, B45’s general manager.
Torpedo bats ‘The torpedoes themselves, we’ve been aware of them for around a year. It just never really caught on,” Gosselin said. “And then all of a sudden, the Yankees’ game on Saturday just changed the narrative completely.’
