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As the debate continues to rage about the effectiveness and fairness of MLB’s “torpedo” bats, the sales are now quickly amassing.
Several major bat manufacturers, including Chandler Bats, Marucci Sports, and Victus Sports, have begun to sell versions of the torpedo bats to the general public, allowing ordinary consumers to access the same design that has quickly become the talk of baseball after the Yankees’ historic offensive start to the season. The torpedo bat design moves more mass into the sweet spot of the barrel and closer to the handle.
Not surprisingly, early interest among players at all levels of the sport has been massive, with many of the manufacturers reporting record sales in company histories spanning decades.
“I’ve gotten more messages about the torpedo bat—I’ve been doing this for over 20 years now—than I have on anything we have ever done in the history of our company,” Marucci CEO and cofounder Kurt Ainsworth told The New York Times. “This is torpedomania.”
The frenzy around the bats, however, remains somewhat disconnected from statistical results, or prior player experience. While the Yankees have been relentless so far at the plate, leaguewide statistics so far this season show that both average runs scored per game and batting average are nearly identical to comparable results from last year.
As MLB rules do not regulate the geometry of the bats, so long as they stay within the maximum diameter of 2.61 inches, some batters have experimented with torpedo-type shapes over many years. Former MLB manager Ozzie Guillén said on WSCR-AM in Chicago on Wednesday that he used a torpedo bat in 1986 and “they don’t work.” This Getty Images photo may confirm his use of that bat. Guillén hit .250 that year with just two home runs, ultimately amassing just 28 over a 16-season career.
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