The New York Yankees just wrapped up their third series of the season and the main focus is still…the torpedo bats. The misshaped bats have taken baseball social media by storm. Everybody has had a heavy opinion on this topic recently. Is this because the Yankees are the main target of this hatred and baseball fans will do anything to drag the Yankees through the mud? Maybe. Or is it because the bat is actually illegal? Some fans are worried this could really change the game of baseball and are calling it a bad thing, even going as far as accusing players of cheating.
The “torpedo bat” is referring to a regulated wooden bat that has taken the hard grain from the normal barrel of the bat and shifted it down, more towards the handle of the bat. In doing this, it ensures players to make hard contact more often, most commonly when jammed or later on the pitch. The standard “sweet spot” of a bat has been 5-7 inches from the end cap of the bat, the torpedo bat’s sweet spot is 11-14 inches away from the end cap, the end cap and barrel is also slimmer.
This obviously creates a very different feel when swinging it. Especially when players have been swinging the same designed bats their whole professional careers. The torpedo bat was originally created to help players who were already naturally later on the ball, players who get jammed a lot. Players like New York Yankees’ Anthony Volpe have been open about the usage of the torpedo. The Yankees looked at Volpes barrel percentage and where on the bat he makes contact the most. The Yankees took an innovative way of attempting to improve those numbers by simply moving the barrel down. Volpes barrel percentage skyrocketed from a mere 3.9% to almost 22% now.
Unfortunately, this hasn’t been the case for everyone with the torpedo bats. New York Mets superstar Francisco Lindor also started off the season sporting the torpedo but it wasn’t the start he wanted. The MVP runner-up couldn’t find a hole, going 0-11 through the Mets first series. Obviously, that’s just the first series and there’s no doubt Lindor will pick it up, but this just goes to show that the torpedo bat is not a magic wand that is giving the Yankees an unfair advantage.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the torpedo bats are “absolutely good for baseball.” The only thing torpedo bats will bring to the game of baseball is the opportunity for players to improve their game. As much as fans will love to hate on this, they will all cheer when balls are flying out of parks left and right.
