ASTROS ADOPT “TORPEDO” TECHNOLOGY! Houston Looks to Boost Offense with Yankees’ Revolutionary New Bat Design
The Houston Astros are seeking a ninth trip to the postseason in the last 11 years, but that lofty goal has taken a backseat to the impact the New York Yankees‘ new “torpedo” bats are having.
The general concept of the bat is to shift the sweet spot of the barrel closer to the player’s hands, which is a value add for hitters that make contact closer to their hands. This bat was designed by former physics professor Aaron Leanhardt, who has a PhD in physics from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In just a few days, the conversation about Leanhardt’s innovation is already bouncing all over the league.
Barstool Sports creator Dave Portnoy got into a verbal scrap with Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. on X over New York’s usage of “torpedo” bats. Portnoy is a Boston Red Sox fan, which is likely influencing his extreme stance on the matter.
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Trevor Megill gave a scathing review of the new bat design. “It’s the Yankees, so they’ll let it slide,” he said.
Love the Bronx Bombers or hate them, they are one of the most polarizing team in the sport. If a small market team introduced this new bat design while having the extreme success New York has enjoyed early this season, perhaps this discussion would have a different tone. Since it’s the Yankees, however, things are quickly getting colorful.
That said, not everyone views “torpedo” bats as a game-breaking problem. Sean Casey is a former three-time All-Star with a career .302 batting average. He’s also served as a hitting coach for New York in the past. He views “torpedo” bats as just one of many legal bat design variants.
During a recent episode of his podcast, the 12-year MLB veteran pulled out a variety of bats from his collection. He showed barrels with different designs, handles with different thicknesses and bats made of different types of wood. Casey also suggested it’s the player, not the bat, that makes the difference at the plate.
A former hitting coach, Casey has direct experience with how the Yankees operate. They are trying to win on the margins, meaning they are always trying to find competitive advantages that can give them an edge against their opponents.
Casey also explained that in his generation, when Ken Griffey Jr. switched to a smaller bat size, other players followed suit. That’s already starting to happen with “torpedo” bats, as other teams have already begun ordering their own.
MLB teams have been looking for new ways to get an edge since the sport began, so this is just the latest example of that.
The “torpedo” bat is a similar innovation that may give certain players an advantage they didn’t previously have, but it’s not for everyone. Reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge already has four homers and isn’t using these new bats, even though many of his teammates are.
Similar to Judge, perhaps Astros stars like Yordan Alvarez and Jose Altuve should stay away from the new bats. But since New York hitters are finding early success with them, Houston should consider trying them as well.
On Monday, Astros manager Joe Espada told Chandler Rome of the The Athletic that some of the organization’s minor leaguers are experimenting with the new bats, but none of his players are using them yet. Don’t be surprised if that changes soon, however.
