Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is speaking out about the torpedo bat situation in baseball. Manfred sees no issue with the bats after the New York Yankees shocked MLB by using them to start the year.
“I believe that issues like the torpedo bat and the debate around it demonstrate the fact that baseball still occupies a unique place in our culture,” Manfred said, per The New York Times, “because people get into a complete frenzy over something that's really nothing at the end of the day. The bats comply with the rules.”
The Yankees used the bats in an explosion earlier this season of offense, against the Milwaukee Brewers. New York hit nine home runs by using the bats in a game to whip the Brewers, 20-9. Aaron Judge hit three home runs in that game.
“Players have actually been moving the sweet spot around in bats for years,” Manfred added. “But it just demonstrates that something about the game is more important than is captured by television ratings or revenue or any of those things, when you have the discussions and debates about it.”
Some commentators have said MLB needs to ban the bats. It seems Manfred would not be supportive of that effort.
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Torpedo bats are getting more use in MLB
While the Yankees are getting the attention for using these bats, they are not the only team doing it. New York Mets player Francisco Lindor is trying it out, as are several other players around baseball. The Atlanta Braves are also getting on board.
The Yankees do seem to be having a lot of success with these bats. Torpedo bats are designed to spread the mass of the bat around different areas of the tool, so players can grip it easier. New York is living up to their name of Bronx Bombers, by using the bats to blast home runs all over the place this season.
Baseball fans will likely be seeing more use of the torpedo bat in the near future.
