The New York Yankees may have started a trend with their innovative "torpedo" bats.
After seeing the Yankees' impressive power surge this weekend, which included a franchise-record nine home runs on Saturday and an MLB record-tying 15 long balls in the first three games of the season, the Atlanta Braves were sold.
ESPN MLB insider Buster Olney, during the network's broadcast of the Braves' 5-0 loss to the San Diego Padres on Sunday, revealed that Atlanta "placed an order" for the torpedo bats.
"...And after what happened yesterday, the Braves put in an order for some of these bats," Olney said. "[Braves catcher] Drake Baldwin actually told me that he used one of these in the Arizona Fall League last year. He said, 'It looks weird, but if the Yankees are gonna keep hitting like that, everyone's gonna want to do it.' "
Baldwin isn't the only Braves player intrigued by the bats. First baseman Matt Olson, who belted an MLB-leading 54 home runs in 2023, told The Athletic that he'd consider trying out the innovative lumber.
"Guys are going to be trying it out now," Olson said. "… I might try it to just feel what it’s like."
The torpedo bat, the brainchild of a former MIT physicist and Yankees employee, features an untraditional barrel that rests closer to where batters are more inclined to make contact with the ball. And MLB on Saturday confirmed that the bats are legal and within the rules.
In addition to the Yankees, the Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Twins each have players who utilize the bats. One player each on the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays uses one. And Padres star Manny Machado, in a mic'd up interview during Sunday's game, half-jokingly suggested that the Yankees "send a few" over to San Diego.
More and more players may be inclined to try them, given the home run show the Yankees put on against the Milwaukee Brewers.
