Unfair play or mere scientific ingenuity? Many despise the New York Yankees, mirroring the sentiment directed at the Kansas City Chiefs during this year’s Super Bowl or the New England Patriots during their dynasty period. Despite not clinching a World Series since 2009, the Yankees are still perceived as the year-round adversary due to their star-studded lineup and the financial prowess to secure a playoff spot consistently. Additionally, they appear to have a leg up in the analytics game over their competitors.
The 2025 MLB season just got underway, but the Yankees have garnered plenty of attention already. They won a spectacular 20-9 match against the Milwaukee Brewers in just their second game of the season. The Bronx Bombers’ outstanding performance included blasting an impressive nine home runs, three of which were delivered by outfield superstar Aaron Judge.
This nine-home-run single game broke the Yankees’ previous franchise record. Many attribute this remarkable batting success to the team’s newly introduced bats. If you’ve been watching the Yankees, you might have noticed that some of their bats seem to resemble bowling pins more than the typical bats, and this peculiarity is quite intentional.
Kevin Smith, a former Yankees’ front office member, is the brain behind these intriguing bats. Smith found that some players hit more foul balls because they tend to strike closer to the label instead of the top of the bat. To tackle this issue, the team devised what has been coined as the ‘Torpedo’ barrel bats.
These new bats feature a design where the majority of the mass is nearer to the bottom, closer to the batter’s grip. This construction offers the batter a greater probability of making solid contact with the ball and getting a clean hit, rather than just nudging it into foul territory.
You might be wondering whether such a revolution is lawful in the game. It turns out, it is perfectly legitimate as confirmed by the MLB, and the Yankees seem to already be reaping the rewards of this innovation.
During his three-home-run run against the Brewers, Aaron Judge claimed he hadn’t employed the new bat. Nevertheless, this hasn’t held back some MLB fans from dubiously pointing fingers at the Yankees and suspecting them of foul play, even though these ‘Torpedo’ bats are completely within the rules of the game.
The old adage, ‘Don’t hate the player, hate the game,’ seems particularly relevant here. It seems the Yankees happened to be the first to figure out this new, entirely legal bat structure, creating a wave of resentment among other teams who did not think of it initially.
Isn’t it likely that the rest of the MLB is currently in the process of devising their own version of the ‘Torpedo’ bats sheathed in jealousy? It’s more than probable. With the secret out now, be prepared to witness this bat becoming a standard in every team, at least until MLB decides to institute a ban on it.
While many find it easy to detest the Yankees, it seems they ought to be lauded in this case. They’ve conceptualized something that complies with the existing rules, and it could usher in a paradigm shift in baseball. This doesn’t equate to cheating—it’s simply scientific innovation.