Red Sox fan Dave Portnoy has begun a crusade against the torpedo bat trend popularized by the Yankees that’s taking MLB by storm, just as an All-Star on his favorite team hinted that he was jumping on the bandwagon.
Alex Bregman, whom the Red Sox signed to a three-year, $120 million contract during the offseason, posted a photo of a torpedo bat to his Instagram Story on Tuesday with the caption “AB2” and a rocket emoji, suggesting he was taking the leap.
Boston had an off day Tuesday, so it remains to be seen if Bregman, the former Astros star, will take the bat into action on Wednesday in Baltimore.
It’s not a surprise to see more players wanting to try the torpedo bats after the Yankees’ offensive explosion over the weekend, with five of their hitters using the new sticks spearheaded by their former analyst Aaron Leanhardt, the MIT-educated physicist now with the Marlins.
Alex Bregman posted a photo of a torpedo bat to his Instagram Story. Instagram/Alex Bregman
Kurt Ainsworth, a former MLB pitcher who is a co-founder and CEO of equipment company Marucci Sports, told Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman on “The Show” podcast that the torpedo bats are “here to stay” and he expects half of major leaguers to be using them.
That apparently won’t sit well with Portnoy.
Alex Bregman of the Red Sox bats against the Orioles on March 31, 2025. Getty Images
“These Yankee fans think it’s about the Yankees. The arrogance of these guys. They’ve won, what, one World Series since the turn of the century? You know who else has done that? The D-Backs, the Marlins, the White Sox, the Royals, the Cubs, the Nationals. So what? They’re a poverty franchise like those teams. Big deal. Aaron Judge hits home runs in the regular season. What’s he do in the postseason? Can’t even make contact,” the Barstool Sports founder said Tuesday on Fox Business.
“This has nothing to do with the Yankees. But this is hundreds of years of baseball. You try [as] a pitcher [to] get the ball in on the hands, that’s a good pitch. Anthony Volpe, who stinks and is a Yankee, they said they researched his swing. Guess what? They researched it, they found out he stinks. He keeps hitting the ball on the hands and they altered the bat.”
Portnoy also has a new name for the bats, which Brewers closer Trevor Megill described to The Post’s Dan Martin as “bowling pins.”
Dave Portnoy during an interview on Fox Business. Fox Business
“We don’t need these Godzilla bats infiltrating the national pastime,” Portnoy said.
The Red Sox are off to a 1-4 start, and Bregman is 5-for-22 with zero extra-base hits, one walk and five strikeouts.
His signing to be the third baseman forced Rafael Devers into the DH role, and thus far Devers is 0-for-19 with 15 strikeouts and four walks.
