MLB has weighed in on the New York Yankees’ “torpedo” style bats that drew attention on Saturday.
The Yankees pounded out 9 home runs amid a 20-9 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. They set a franchise record with their 9 home runs hit in the game, including three by Aaron Judge. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe added home runs, and those two players received attention due to the bats they used.
Yankees TV announcer Michael Kay explained that the Yankees modified the bats used by Chisholm Jr. and Volpe to put a fatter part of the wood where the two tend to make more contact. Rather than have the barrel in the typical spot, they made the barrel closer to the label for Volpe after studying his results and realizing most of his contact was made closer to the label of the bat.
The Yankees have new bats today :
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 29, 2025
"where they moved a lot of the wood into the label so the harder part of the bat is going to strike the ball."
They tied their franchise record for HRs in a game in only 4 innings
pic.twitter.com/nte8YpuH9V
In this image, you can see how the end of the bat is skinnier than the part lower than it, which is different how bats typically are shaped.
The Yankees used new bats today that moved the wood to where the ball get hits with the hardest part of the bat 👀
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) March 29, 2025
They broke a franchise record for most home runs in a game (9) 🤯 pic.twitter.com/9f3CiI810q
Putting more meat in the area of the bat where a hitter makes more contact seems to be the type of customization that makes perfect sense. It also left people wondering whether it’s legal. And the answer is: yes.
MLB’s rules regarding bats are pretty straightforward.
“The 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,” the rules state.
Nothing the Yankees have done violate the rules on bats. MLB confirmed the bats are indeed legal.
The torpedo style bats are the product of Aaron Leanhardt aka “Lenny,” a former MIT physicist, who has worked as a hitting coach in baseball. He was brought in by the Yankees to improve the communication between those in the team’s analytics department and the players.
Former Yankees minor league player Kevin Smith discussed the bats via X on Saturday and said the idea behind them is to increase the amount of times a batter connects with the “barrel” of the bat, which generates the hardest hits.
Yes, the Yankees have a literal genius MIT Physicist, Lenny (who is the man), on payroll. He invented the “Torpedo” barrel. It brings more wood – and mass – to where you most often make contact as a hitter. The idea is to increase the number of “barrels” and decrease misses. pic.twitter.com/CsC1wkAM9G
— Kevin Smith (@KJS_4) March 29, 2025
“Most guys are using bats that aren’t even close to maxing out the barrel size. When Lenny measured my barrel compared to what’s ‘allowed’ i (sic) was shocked,” Smith wrote on X.
“‘You’re going up with a weapon that can be better.’ Lenny would say. ‘Your just misses could be clips, your clips could be flares, and your flares could barrels.’ And it was true, it’s fractions of an inch on the barrel differentiating these outcomes,” Smith wrote.
Smith said that hitters sacrifice some exit velocity by using the odd-shaped torpedo bats if the weight is the same. However, the Yankees believe the improvement in contact rates makes up for the difference and makes the equipment worthwhile.
Lenny apparently predicted the style of bat would be widespread in 5-10 years. Given how well the Yankees hit on Saturday, the bat style might be widespread in 5-10 days.
