Bombs Away: Torpedo Bats are Taking Over Major League Baseball

[Matthew Lenz]

Coming out of left field, torpedo bats are all the rage right now. The bowling pin-shaped bat is a shift from tradition, and is being credited with producing more power. Is the hype real? Who on the Minnesota Twins is using the bat?

Image courtesy of © Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The torpedo bat blew up on social media this weekend, after the New York Yankees went on a power barrage, setting a franchise record for home runs in a game in just four innings. In three games against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Yankees bashed 15 home runs and scored 36 runs. Independent journalist Joe Pompliano was quick to point out that the bats are perfectly legal.

Aaron Leanhardt, the field coordinator for the Miami Marlins, is the mastermind behind the torpedo bat. You can watch the full 8-minute interview recorded by Kevin Barral of our sister sister Fish on First. Otherwise, here are some takeaways:

• His background is in physics and electrical engineering, and he has a PhD from MIT.
• The idea took more than two years to get to this point.
• He credits the batters, not the bats.
• The bat was first utilized in 2023 (he wouldn't say by whom), at both the minor- and major-league levels. It was tested as early as 2022, but not in regular-season games.
• The industry was more aware of players trending toward using these bats than the media and general public were; this didn't sneak up on teams or players.
• Leanhardt points out that traditional bats are at their thickest at the end instead of at the barrel, which is where players are trying to make contact.

Without getting into the weeds of the science behind it, Leanhardt (recently nicknamed El Torpedo) credits former Marlins infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. with his rudimentary explanation of the bat's unique shape. In a tweet on Monday morning, the Yankees infielder stated in part “...you just move the wood from the parts you don’t use to the parts you do!” Put that way, it's such a simple concept one might wonder how nobody in baseball developed this long ago.

To this point, just one Twins hitter has been spotted using the viral bat.

In an interview with Dan Hayes of The Athletic ($$), Ryan Jeffers was asked if he thought the bats really made a difference.

“I don’t think it’s going to be something that’s an end all, be all for everybody, that everybody’s going to start swinging these bats and become better hitters," Jeffers said. "I think this might work for some people and might not for others. For me, I’m giving it a little bit of a trial period, see how I like it.”

It's unclear when this “trial period” started exactly, but he was using the torpedo bat in Tuesday’s game against the Chicago White Sox where he went 1-for-3 with an RBI single. For what it's worth (not much, over five games), his 2025 batted ball data wouldn't suggest the bat is helping the Twins backstop in the power department. He might also have been using it back in 2024, though. It remains to be seen whether other Twins will give the bat a trial run and, despite the hype, it's not a bandwagon that all players around the league are jumping on.

In the same article, The Athletic included excerpts of interviews from various players and managers around the league. Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, and Spencer Torkelson are all players who are sticking with their traditional bats (at least for now), while Elly De La Cruz and Enrique Hernández have used or are planning on using the bat. In fact, in his first game using a torpedo bat, the Cincinnati Reds' electric shortstop went 4-for-5 with two home runs and a double. Chandler Bats, one of the companies who produces the bats (along with Victus and Marruci), reports that orders have come flying in after the Yankees’ weekend performance.

Baseball is a game that has traditionally been slow to accept change. As Max Muncy pointed out in his interview with The Athletic, the baseball bat has changed very little over the 170-year history of the game. It's been nearly 30 years since players started using non-ash bats and almost 15 years since ax-handle bats gained popularity. Despite those subtle modifications, the shape of the barrel has always remained the same. Simply put, the torpedo bat might be the most revolutionary development for a piece of baseball equipment since Wilson introduced the “snap-action” heel to baseball gloves. Or, maybe it's not. Maybe it’s just a viral trend that will fall by the wayside over time.

It's far too early to make any definitive claims regarding the torpedo bat. On the surface the idea makes a lot of sense, but we’re going to need at least a full season's worth of data before conjecturing whether the bat really makes a difference. As far as the Twins are concerned, we’ll likely be waiting a few weeks to see who else latches on to this trend.

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What are your thoughts on the torpedo bat? Join the conversation in the comments!

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[Doctor Gast]

IMO, the torpedo bat is a necessary tool for some hitters under certain conditions. NYY always like to get the edge, whether it's Goldilock balls or torpedo bats. Like pine tar, it needs to be investigated over time to see if they are fair or not. All I'm asking for is a level playing field. How long did players use corked bats before they were banned?

[Karbo]

For many hitters the bat makes sense. More meat in the area of the bat where more balls are hit, should get more hard hit balls. I haven't held one yet, but I would imagine it may be a bit more balanced too. I would think for guys that crowd the plate it could make a difference.

[MinnInPa]

wont help Twins hitters ..they like to watch strike 3 without swinging

[Eris]

I think that with a  Torpedo bat, a player should be able to generate more bat speed vs an equal weight normal bat s the center of mass is closer to the hands. A player could also use a heavier Torpedo bat and retain that same bat speed. 

[LambchoP]

Think it could be helpful for players who crowd the plate and get jammed a lot. Not sure I'm sold on these yet though...

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

How long did players use corked bats before they were banned?

I don't think corked bats have ever been legal.

[Bradfoot]

If we are ever able to quantify the increase in production that these provide, I think we will find it to be very minimal increases and only applies to particular players.  But if it adds a few points to your OPS then you better take it.  I don't think this will take anyone from average to superstar like people seem to think.

The hype is only happening because a very good Yankee lineup trounced a pitcher that they know better than anyone else.  If it originated from a team like the Diamondbacks (2nd in runs/game), I think it would be a couple minor articles that already fizzled out.

[jmlease1]

I suspect that the benefits, if any, will be relatively small and incremental over the whole of MLB. But it could make a difference for players who have been struggling to square up on balls as much as they need to and are close to getting more barrels on the bat but are just slightly off. Guys who are doing well already at getting the barrel on the ball might not see much difference.

It'll be interesting to see at the end of the season if there are significant differences for a relevant sample of the players using the new bats. I have no problem with this: the bat meets the rules as written, it's available to all players and teams...go ahead an experiment. No difference than going from ash to maple to me.

[gman]

Even with last nights win, I don't see how it could hurt.

[jjswol]

A bit premature to get your shorts in a bunch over.

[farmerguychris]

Its just another evolution in the game.  If it works, I envision them being the norm in 5 years.  Same thing as how the glove has evolved over 100 years - the bat will as well.

[Steve Lein]

I've kinda been laughing at this so far this season. Since I am an engineer by trade, I take a large interest in the design of things, and since I played wood-bat baseball for 15+ years they were something I spent a lot of time researching. Composite bats were legal in our leagues and I thought they had noticeably more thump (also costed twice as much), but they are not legal in MLB.

There are a few bat companies based in Minnesota (MaxBat is probably the most well-known one, and they are used in the majors), but as far as the "design of things" I took an interest in, there are many different bat "turn profiles" that are standard, and then not so standard "custom" ones that I think the "torpedoes" would fall into.

This profile has a longer taper, this one gets to the diameter of the barrel quicker, handle is wider, no knob, axe grip, etc... All of them can have some wood "cupped" out of the end of the bat to shift the weight and center of gravity on the barrel (i.e.: the "sweet spot").

I tried out pretty much all of these until I found my favorite one, which is the "110" profile, which is a bit lighter with a long taper to the thickest part of the barrel.

All this "torpedo" design is doing, is taking an extreme approach to the idea of "cupping" the barrel at the end of it. It isn't "adding" weight to the sweet spot or whatever, it's just moving and maybe expanding it a little. It's certainly not a new concept, in my opinion.

https://www.baseballsavings.com/baseball-guide/wood-bat-turning-models/?srsltid=AfmBOop00WS8dFsVb3LhPjtuCC0vwoJFsRERdWuBMsUZ48wxaG43QCd_

Edited April 2, 2025 by Steve Lein

[The Great Hambino]

Chandler Bats owes Nestor Cortes an endorsement deal or some stock for everything he did to raise the bat's profile

[Dlee]

Next up AI bats, where the bat finds the ball for you.