The New York Yankees have ignited the baseball world with their explosive offensive performance at the start of the 2025 season, largely attributed to their innovative "torpedo" bats. In their first three games, the Yankees matched an MLB record by hitting 15 home runs. This explosive display includes a franchise-record nine home runs in a single game against the Milwaukee Brewers, winning 20-9 on March 29.
The "Torpedo" bat is a novel design engineered to enhance hitting performance. Developed by Aaron Leanhardt, a former MIT physicist and Yankees analyst who currently works for the Miami Marlins, the bat features an untraditional barrel, which rests closer to the hitter's hands. "Torpedo" bats are designed with more wood, and thus more mass, concentrated in the area of the bat where the hitter is more likely to hit the ball.
Each player touts a slightly different model, with the bat's shape specifically customized to maximize potential damage on any given swing. This design aims to increase the sweet spot and improve contact consistency. Notably, the MLB has confirmed that these bats comply with all official equipment regulations.
MLB has relatively uncomplicated bat rules, stating under 3.02: “The bat shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 2.61 inches in diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length. The bat shall be one piece of solid wood.” It goes on to state that experimental models must be approved by MLB.
Several Yankees players have embraced the torpedo bat, experiencing positive results. Jazz Chisholm Jr., for instance, hit two home runs in the game on March 29, bringing his season total to three. Cody Bellinger also praised the bat's design saying, “I started swinging this one in spring or before spring, kind of early on, and I was like, ‘Oh it feels good,’” Bellinger said. “It was an ounce lighter than the one I was swinging, but I think the way the weight was distributed felt really good.”
Despite the team's success with the new bats, star outfielder Aaron Judge has opted to stick with his traditional equipment. After hitting three home runs in the March 29 game, Judge expressed satisfaction with his current setup, stating, "What I did last year speaks for itself."
The Yankees' early-season power surge has sparked discussions across the league about bat technology and its impact on the game. As the season progresses, it will be intriguing to see how widespread the adoption of the torpedo bat becomes and whether other teams explore similar innovations.
