Skates, Spikes, and Sidelines

It’s only taken 150 years for the barrel of a baseball bat to change!

The New York Yankees unveiled their new “Torpedo Bats” in regular-season play this past weekend. In their inaugural weekend, the Yankees set a franchise record of homers in a game (9), and Aaron Judge hit three in the same game. Over their games with the bat, they hit 15 homers and outscored the Brewers 36-14.

What are these new bats, and how do they work?

The science behind the swing

The Yankees have Aaron Leanhardt, a former Yankees analyst, to thank for this innovative bat.

These new bats contain advanced materials and form to give an advantage. They are made of a hybrid composite with reduced vibrations and enhanced durability. The micro-layered structure also increases the “trampoline effect” to give a more explosive contact.

Further, the weight distribution has been optimized to improve the swing speed without sacrificing control. This helps with batters who swing at higher-velocity pitches.

Increased exit velocity and power

The most noticeable improvements come with hitting. According to Baseball Savant, the Yankees’ average exit velocity is nearly two mph faster compared to last season. Although it’s a small sample size, it’s an early indicator of the bat’s powers.

Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees’ star slugger, hit several balls with an exit velocity of over 115 mph last season. When he’s off the injured list, it’ll be interesting to see if that goes up.

Adjustments for precision

Batters also benefited from improved bat control. The new bats provide a smoother transfer of energy from players’ hands to the barrel.

The team did a study on Anthony Volpe‘s hitting and concluded that he typically hit the ball off the baseball bat’s label. So, they transferred most of the material to the label so that the hardest part was no longer on the barrel, but rather on the label. Genius!

The Yankees’ investment in cutting-edge technology has paid off early in 2025. As the season progresses, we’ll see if it holds up. If it does, well, opposing pitchers are in for a long summer.