Torpedo Bats Are Gaining Popularity Among MLB Players as a Game-Changing Tool

When it comes to baseball, choosing the right bat is more than just a preference — it can be a game-changer! Whether you're just getting started or playing in the big leagues, the bat you swing can have a huge impact on your performance at the plate.

Among the many options available today, two types that stand out are the classic regular bat and the increasingly popular "Torpedo" bat.

At first glance, they might look pretty similar, but don't be fooled! These bats have quite a few key differences that can affect how they handle, feel, and perform on the field.

So, stick with us as we reveal the difference between torpedo bats and regular bats!

If you're wondering what sets a Torpedo bat apart from a regular bat, the difference is quite noticeable. In fact, the "Torpedo" barrel is designed to rest in a non-traditional location, positioned closer to the hitter's hands. This gives it a unique feel and swing.

These Torpedo bats are also engineered with more mass than a regular bat, specifically, additional wood concentrated in the area where hitters are most likely to make contact with the ball.

This added weight and wood density help maximize power and control, allowing each player to tailor the bat's shape to suit their swing and enhance their hitting potential.

Several notable New York Yankees players have jumped on the Torpedo bat bandwagon, including Anthony Volpe, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, and Austin Wells. The impact is already being felt.

During their 2025 season opener, the Yankees made home run history, tying an American League and National League record with 15 home runs in their first three games. They also tied a club record with 13 homers in just two games, belting four in a dominant 12-3 win on Sunday, March 30 after hitting nine the previous day.

The best part? These Torpedo bats are completely legal! Major League Baseball confirmed that the Torpedo bats comply with all league rules and bat supplier regulations. According to Rule 3.02, bats must not exceed 2.61 inches in diameter and 42 inches in length.

"The reality is, it's all within Major League standards. It's 2025, so we can account for things a lot better," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, per MLB.com. "When I played, I probably used six, seven, eight different model bats throughout my career. … Those things aren't new. There's just more people pouring into trying to optimize guys as best we can."

The Torpedo bat is the brainchild of Aaron Leanhardt, a former Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) physicist turned coach. Leanhardt first started developing the bat while working as part of the Yankees' minor-league hitting department in 2022.

His work gained traction, and by 2024, when he became the Yankees' lead analyst, he introduced the Torpedo bat to the major leagues. It didn’t take long before several players began testing the new design in real games. By the start of the 2025 season, Leanhardt's innovation was being used by as many as five Yankees players.

However, in an interview with The Atheltic, Leanhardt was pretty quick to downplay his role as the sole inventor of the Torpedo bat. The coach described the creation process as a collaborative effort, crediting plenty of input from coaches, players, MLB officials, and bat manufacturers.

"Credit goes to those who take it," Leanhardt said. "But if people want to ascribe credit to different people, then I'll take some cut of it."

Despite his modesty, a Yankees official emphasized that Leanhardt deserved "a lot" of the credit for the bat's success. Retired infielder Kevin Smith, who spent parts of four seasons in the majors, also singled out Leanhardt as the true inventor of the Torpedo bat.