During the Yankees’ Opening Day, players like Jazz Chisholm Jr., Cody Bellinger and Austin Wells had bats that looked different. They were using a new type of bat known as the Torpedo Bat, which has a wider barrel closer to the handle and a thinner tip, giving it a shape that resembles a bowling pin. The new design paid off immediately, helping the Yankees hit 15 home runs and score 36 runs in their opening series against the Brewers.
The bats were developed by Aaron Leanhardt, a former MIT physicist who previously taught at the University of Michigan before joining the Yankees as a minor league hitting coordinator. With a Ph.D. in physics and a background in atomic research, Leanhardt brought a scientific edge to a sport rooted in tradition.
Rather than focusing on aesthetics, Leanhardt emphasized performance. “It’s just about making the bat as heavy and as fat as possible in the area where you’re trying to do damage on the baseball,” he said in an interview with NBC New York.
Though legal under current MLB regulations, the bats have already sparked discussion around the league. Some pitchers have voiced concerns about safety and fairness, while hitting coaches and analysts are watching closely to see whether the bats represent a short-lived trend or the future of hitting.
The Yankees, however, seem content to stay ahead of the curve. They are currently 14-8 as of April 20, with the second-most runs scored in the league. As long as the bats keep producing results and runs, they’re likely to remain in the lineup.
