New 'Torpedo Bats' cause Controversy in MLB
The use of torpedo bats in the MLB has recently become a controversial topic as speculation and cheating accusations spread following the start of the 2025 season.
Many baseball enthusiasts and some professional baseball players have expressed feelings that torpedo bats are unfair. Others say that the use of torpedo bats will result in more home runs and games won.
According to ESPN, the torpedo bat is a redesigned baseball bat that keeps the usual length and weight of a bat but changes its shape to improve performance. Instead of having a thick end like traditional bats, it shifts more of the weight down closer to where the ball usually comes in contact, giving the bat a shape like a bowling pin. This can even be adjusted to a specific player so that the heaviest part of the bat is located wherever the player makes the highest amount of contact with the ball.
Aaron Leanhardt, current Miami Marlins field coordinator and former MIT physicist, is the inventor of the torpedo bat. Leanhardt worked for the New York Yankees in previous years as an analyst and minor league hitting coordinator, which is when his idea for the torpedo bat was born.
The first MLB player to use a torpedo bat was New York Yankees outfielder and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton during the 2024 Yankees postseason.
The New York Yankees won its first official 2025 game at home on March 27 against the Milwaukee Brewers with a final score of 20–9. Due to the use of torpedo bats in this game, the Yankees received immediate backlash, including hate comments.
During this game, Yankees players Aaron Judge, Austin Wells, Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt all hit home runs against the Brewers. Out of these players, only Judge has not been experimenting with or using the new bats.
According to an article published by The New York Times (NYT), right fielder Judge has no interest in switching to a torpedo bat. Judge, who also serves as captain for the Yankees, is a modern baseball legend with well over 300 home runs and 700 RBIs in his major league career so far.
“‘What I did the past couple of seasons speaks for itself,’” Judge said in the NYT article.
However, the Yankees have not been completely dominant, nor has the team been the only one using torpedo bats. The Yankees lost three games to the Detroit Tigers in its series from April 7–9, 2025, including a 5–0 loss on April 8. The list of MLB teams with players trying out the new bats includes the Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds.
While many people question the ethics of the new torpedo bats’ usage, it has been made clear since the controversy began that the bats are not illegal in the MLB. According to a detailed ESPN article, officials have stated to those questioning the bats’ legality that torpedo bats are legal and “meet the sport’s equipment specifications.”
Additionally, in an interview with NYT, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred called the torpedo bats “absolutely good for baseball” and confirmed that the bats are legal.
Still, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy posted a clip of himself talking about his rationale of why the New York Yankees are cheating shortly after their first game of 2025. Yankees center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. replied to Portnoy’s statements on X by saying, “This is a high school baller talking🤣.”
Despite the debate amongst baseball watchers and players surrounding the use of torpedo bats, it remains true as of April 17, 2025, that not a single team in the MLB is cheating with the new torpedo bats. For now, any player and team has the option to use them.
