A rival pitcher is not happy with the New York Yankees’ new bats, and with Major League Baseball for allowing them.
Milwaukee Brewers closer Trevor Megill suggested that the Yankees’ newly-engineered bats are bush league and should not be allowed. Megill added that he expects the league to do nothing because “it’s the Yankees.”
“I think it’s terrible,” Megill told Dan Martin of the New York Post. “We’ll see what the data says. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I feel like it’s something used in slo-pitch softball. It’s genius: Put the mass all in one spot.
“It might be bush [league]. It might not be. But it’s the Yankees, so they’ll let it slide.”
Several Yankees are using unique customized bats this season, and the mass is biggest in the part of the bat where the player typically makes contact with the baseball. The bats look a little bit weird, but MLB has confirmed that they are completely legal.
The early results have been promising, as the team hit nine home runs in Saturday’s 20-9 victory over Milwaukee at Yankee Stadium.
Megill’s negative initial reaction is understandable. He’s a pitcher and is looking to maintain as many advantages as possible. It’s also pretty easy to initially question the legality of the weird-looking bats upon first seeing them.
If the Yankees continue to have success with the bats, expect other teams to start copying the concept. Hitters are not going to pass up a legal advantage like that if one exists.
