Have The Torpedo Bats Made A Difference?
The biggest story in Major League Baseball these days is the "torpedo" bat.
While not exclusive to the New York Yankees, they were the first to have several players publicly debut the newer-shaped bats with wood and weight distributed lower on the barrel than traditional designs. Then they scored 20 runs on Saturday and 12 runs on Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers.
In just one weekend, the torpedo bat took over the game. Several other players were seen with the new design; Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins, Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds and Francisco Lindor from the Mets, as just a few examples.
READ: New 'Torpedo' Bats Could Be Used By Over 50 Percent Of MLB Players
The Los Angeles Dodgers broadcast on Monday night revealed that the team had already placed orders for bats for all of their hitters to test out. They're not alone.
But how much of a difference does it actually make? And do we have enough data to tell what's noise and what might be a real change?
NEW YORK - New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe follows through on a swing using a torpedo bat during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium on March 30, 2025. Photo: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Torpedo Bats Might Help, Though Small Sample Sizes Abound
The poster child for the torpedo bat benefit thus far has been Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe. Volpe was one of the worst hitters in baseball in 2024, but through the first few days of the season, he's been one of the league's hottest hitters.
So what does the data tell us about whether the bat has helped Volpe's results thus far?
Well, here's the major caveat: this is all based on tiny sample sizes. Meaning it's virtually impossible to separate noise from the meaningful changes. That said, there's some reason to think that the bat does make a difference. But it might not be nearly as big as it looks.
First, for all the noise, Volpe is hitting just .200 to start the year. Not exactly peak Ted Williams level. When he has made contact though, he's definitely hit the ball on the barrel more frequently. A lot more frequently.
Through 70 pitches faced, and again, this is just 70 pitches faced, Volpe's put nine balls into play. Two have been barreled, per Baseball Savant's definition. That's 22.2 percent, compared to 3.9 percent in 2024 and 9.0 percent in 2023. His expected slugging percentage is .617, compared to .332 in 2024 and .396 in 2023.
That all sounds great, except digging a bit deeper shows that it might not be as impressive as it sounds. His average exit velocity this year is 88.6, and while that's an improvement from the 87.7 he put up in 2024, in 2023 his exit velocity was…88.7. His hard hit rate is 44.4 percent, and in 2023 it was 43.0 percent.
On the other hand, his average bat speed has jumped from 69.3 in 2024 to 71.8 thus far in 2025. He's getting a "faster" swing off more frequently too, per Baseball Savant. Also, 27.3 percent of his swings have been above 75mph this year, compared to just 9.1 percent in 2024.
And yet, according to the league's squared up contact metric, he's actually doing worse than in 2024.
Elly De La Cruz on Monday in his first game with the new bat went 4-5 with a home run and seven runs batted in. Then went 0-4 on Tuesday. Francisco Lindor is hitting just .067 to start the season, though he did go 1-4 on Tuesday.
So what can we conclude thus far?
Well, it does seem likely that it's a bit easier for some hitters, especially those who struggle with getting jammed, to "barrel" the ball with the newer style torpedo bat. More barrels equals more hits, as a general rule. If it leads to faster bat speeds and more hard-hit balls, offense will inevitably go up. But it could be more of a case-by-case basis type improvement. Some players might benefit, some might not. Volpe seems like the type of player who will show some marginal improvement. Though there's a case to be made that once pitchers see improved results over a larger sample, they could start pitching Volpe differently. For example, staying on the outside part of the plate to avoid the new barrel that's closer to the handle and inside corner.
And again, we're talking about nine batted balls worth of sample. At the end of the day, it's going to take a bigger sample to make a definitive statement one way or the other.
But if it leads to more offense, that's a good thing for baseball, especially in an era where pitching is dominating and using technological advancements to improve. Well, it's a good thing within reason, that is. We'll see.