The MLB season has kicked off with a bang as we saw history between the Yankees and the Brewers. The Yankees kicked off game two of their three-game series on opening weekend with four home runs in the first, including three home runs on three straight pitches. The Yankees ended the game with nine home runs – only one off the MLB record.
During the game’s broadcast, Yankees commentator Michael Kay pointed out that Yankees Shortstop Anthony Volpe was using a bat with an obscure barrel. Kay went in-depth about the bats and mentioned that the Yankees hired MIT engineer Aaron Leanhardt to create the bats for specific players. He also mentioned that the idea behind the bat is to help players who hit the ball closer to the logo of the bat. This new bat invention works so that wood is removed from the fatter part of the bat and placed slightly below its original spot. Along with Volpe, four other players on the team use the torpedo bat.
While the torpedo bat was new information to the majority of the public, the bat itself has been used for quite some time. Players like Francisco Lindor and Giancarlo Stanton have been using the torpedo model since last year. Michael Kay pointed out that people did not realize the change to the bat due to the color of Giancarlo Stanton’s bat. Stanton uses a dark colored bat which hides the actual size of the barrel slightly. While Lindor uses a bright red bat, his torpedo-like barrel is not as large as the models being used currently. This brings up the concern of whether they should be banned due to their size and the skyrocketing player performance.
The players on the Yankees who are using the torpedo bats have been playing at a higher level since the use of these bats. These players have not only had an increased contact rate, but they have an increase in home runs. Anthony Volpe and Jazz Chisholm both have four homers apiece. Chisholm had a multi-home run game and hit three home runs in the series vs the Brewers. Out of the players who are using the torpedo bats, all of them hit a combined total of nine home runs against the Brewers. Before the season began, the Yankees sent out these models to the MLB for review, and the MLB validated the use of these bats. Fans on social media were very split about the bats and how the Yankees punished the Milwaukee pitching staff while using this bat. A lot of fans are in support and a lot are in favor that the bats should be removed.
