The 'Torpedo' bat: The Yankees' secret weapon revolutionizing MLB

The Torpedo bat is revolutionizing Major League Baseball. The sleek new model caused a stir after several Yankees hitters swung it during their season-opening series against the Brewers—a dominant three-game sweep that saw the Bronx Bombers launch 15 home runs. 

According to the MLB, the barrel of the Torpedo bat is located in a nontraditional spot—closer to the hitter's hands, with a thinner top at the end. The innovation is credited to Aaron Leanhardt, a former Yankees analyst who was hired as the Marlins' fielding coordinator this past winter. 

MLB stated that the Torpedo bats are designed with more wood—and therefore more mass—concentrated in the area where the batter is most likely to make contact with the ball. The league also specified that each player uses a slightly different model, with the bat's shape tailored to maximize the potential damage on any given swing.

The bat ignited a major debate during the Yankees' nine-homer explosion against the Brewers in Game 2 of the 2025 season. The controversy prompted Major League Baseball to clarify that the model does not violate any rules or bat supplier regulations.

But the Yankees aren't the only team using this model. Cody Asche, the Orioles' hitting coach, mentioned that if all teams are playing on a given day, it will be clear which players from other teams are also using the bat.

"Where you hit the ball, put some more mass in the sweet spot -- I think that’s not something that’s unique to the Yankees (...) I think a lot of teams are doing that around the league. (The Yankees) may have some more players that have adopted it at a higher rate. But I think if you were around the clubhouse, all 30 teams, you would see a guy or two that’s kind of adopting a bat that’s kind of fashioned more specifically to their swing," Asche said.

Despite the hype, some believe the bat isn't the solution for every player. Stephen Vogt, manager of the Guardians, argued that its effectiveness depends on the strategy each player chooses to follow.

Players such as Aaron Judge prefer a traditional bat. "It’s still a human that has to hit it. It’s not the bat hitting the homer. ... I think that’s a complete individual feel thing for each person," Vogt explained.