The New York Yankees are making waves with their new bat design. Apparently, the team is using torpedo-shaped bats, and it's paying off with impressive results, including a record-breaking nine home runs in one game against the Milwaukee Brewers, tying the 2006 Detroit Tigers for the most home runs in MLB history through the first three games of a season. According to CBS News, players like Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, and rising star Jazz Chisholm Jr. have quickly taken to the torpedo barrels, which redistribute wood lower on the bat to potentially sweeten the sweet spot.
The new bats have been critical to the team's unbeatable start. With them, the Bronx Bombers have launched themselves on pace to utterly demolish existing home run records, projecting a monstrous 810 homers if they keep up their early-season surge, as per the NY Post. Even Aaron Judge, who's sticking with his traditional bat design, must be quietly impressed by his teammates who've started to make every pitch count in ways they never did before.
Much of this unconventional success can be traced back to Aaron Leanhardt, a former Yankees staffer who is now with the Marlins, according to an online post by ex-Yankee Kevin Smith, as shared by CBS News. Leanhardt is credited with developing the torpedo barrel.
As NY Post reported, players like Chisholm Jr. are now to slug 162 homers, an outlandish figure attributed to both skill and can be partly credited to the bat's new shape. The power is changing the game, forcing pitchers to adjust and putting defenses on alert.
Aaron Judge, in a statement shared by CBS News, maintains his old-school approach. "The past couple of seasons kind of speak for itself. Why try to change something?" he said.
