Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner Swinging Infamous ‘Torpedo’ Bats
The Yankees homered on the first three pitches they saw from former teammate Nestor Cortes on Saturday, eventually tagging him for five dingers and hitting a total of nine in their 20-9 destruction of the Brewers. That would have been big enough news on its own, but it was the shape of their bats drawing more attention than anything.
Developed by former Yankees and current Marlins coach Aaron Leanhardt, a man who boasts a PhD in physics from MIT and was a professor in that field at the University of Michigan, the “torpedo” or “bowling pin” bats are the latest innovation in ever-evolving bat technology. First it was moving to maple, then it was axe handles, then the puck knob. While the general shape has remained pretty much the same, little tweaks here and there aim to improve performance. Some of that may just be a placebo effect, and much of the benefit or harm will be based on each individual’s preference.
The larger counterweight of the puck, for instance, helped Paul Goldschmidt at one point but could put more stress on the hamate bone. That same issue is exactly why Dustin Pedroia switched to an axe bat back in the day. Just like those designs being about comfort in the hands and swing, these torpedo bats are individually tailored to place more mass and density into the specific portion of the bat where that hitter most frequently makes contact.
“You see the shape of Chisholm’s bat?” Yankees play-by-play broadcaster Michael Kay asked during the broadcast. “The Yankee front office, the analytics department, did a study on Anthony Volpe, and every single ball it seemed like he hit on the label,” Kay explained. “He didn’t hit any on the barrel, so they had bats made up where they moved a lot of the wood into the label, so the harder part of the bat is going to actually strike the ball. It’ll allow you to wait a little bit longer.”
The big question has been whether the bats are legal, which they are. According to MLB Rule 3.02, a bat “shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 2.61 inches in diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length. The bat shall be one piece of solid wood.” Bat manufacturers must also secure approval from MLB in order to have new designs used in competition, so it’s safe to say that hurdle has already been cleared.
My initial thought was that this makes the barrel too big, but I think that’s just because they’re more tapered and create the appearance of a larger circumference. Turns out that’s exactly the case.
“The bat speed should stay the same,” Leanhardt told The Athletic. “Maybe the bat speed can even increase a little bit depending on how you want to redesign the bat. But ultimately you’re getting a fatter barrel, a heavier barrel at the sweet spot. So in some sense, you can have your cake and eat it here too. You can get some gains without actually making sacrifices.”
While the Yankees got all the hype for obvious reasons, this isn’t a phenomenon confined to the Bronx. Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson have been using them against the Diamondbacks, with the latter clubbing a long homer to center to put the Cubs ahead early in Sunday’s game. Other teams have access to them as well, we just haven’t heard much about it yet because no other team did what the Yankees just did. And because no one gives a damn about the Marlins.
Whether this is just a passing fad or the advent of a whole new standard has yet to be seen, but at least one Bronx Bomber is perfectly happy swinging his traditional massive chunk of lumber.
“What I did the past couple of seasons speaks for itself,” Aaron Judge said Sunday morning. “Why try to change something if you have something that’s working?”
Fair enough, especially when you don’t need an advantage with the bat when MLB sees to it you’re being fed juiced baseballs. I find this topic endlessly fascinating and it’s something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
