GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — One week into the new MLB season and all the talk is about the “torpedo bat.”
The unique model, which appears to follow league guidelines, first grabbed eyes on Saturday, dominated discussions on Sunday and cemented the trend on Monday. And a former University of Michigan physicist is behind it all.
It’s easy to see how the torpedo bat earned its name. The shape of the bat is shifted slightly, moving the thickest part of the bat — the barrel — further toward the handle, making the tapered end more pronounced, almost like a bowling pin or a torpedo.
It comes from Aaron Leanhardt. According to MLB.com, Leanhardt earned his doctorate in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and taught physics at U-M from 2007 through 2014 before making the move to baseball.
He worked at several levels within the New York Yankees organization as a hitting coach and analyst, dissecting data and the science behind the sport. But the physics expert says the “eureka moment” came from the players in 2022.
“(It) was when players pointed to where they were trying to hit the ball, and they noticed themselves that that was not the fattest part of the bat,” Leanhardt told MLB.com. “They noticed themselves that the tip was the fattest part of the bat, and then everyone just looked at each other like, ‘Well, let’s flip it around.’”
Leanhardt has been working on the bat design for years, running lots of tests and making several tweaks. In fact, the apparent payout for the new design comes after Leanhardt left New York. He walked away from the Yankees for a job with the Miami Marlins following last season.
The torpedo bat first grabbed eyes on Saturday, when Leanhardt’s former team hit a team-record nine home runs and scored 20 runs in their blowout win over the Brewers. Those discussions reached a fever pitch on Sunday and were refueled Monday when Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz used the bat for the first time and collected four hits, including two home runs, and seven RBIs.
For those who know the baseball lingo, the changes seem to be common sense. Every hitter wants to “barrel” up the ball. Hitting the ball with the widest part of the bat gives the best chance of making hard contact and producing an ideal launch angle.
If hitters are consistently making contact closer to the “label,” why not just move the barrel?
Cincinnati Reds’ Elly De La Cruz uses a torpedo bat to hit a two-run home run against the Texas Rangers on Monday, March 31, 20255. (Kareem Elgazzar/AP)
MLB does have a set of rules for bat dimensions, but there’s no indication that the torpedo bat breaks any of them. The rules dictate the maximum length and diameter of the bat, but not where the barrel must be.
“Experimental” bats are not allowed to be used, but there is no indication from the league that the torpedo bats would be considered one. The bats are produced by one of MLB’s 41 approved bat manufacturers.
Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton used one during last year’s playoff run, hitting seven home runs in 14 games. A handful of players on the Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays have also used the torpedo bats so far this season.
As expected, multiple outlets say other MLB teams have inquired about the bat and have already ordered some from bat manufacturers.
