When a former MIT physicist takes on baseball, the result is the torpedo — a creation that fuses science with a hint of superstition. While some players are eager to try it out, others are more cautious, leading to lively debates from the dugout to the front office.
Lane Thomas Crushes Grand Slam With Tapered Old Hickory Bat
Giancarlo Stanton took to the field with a torpedo bat in the 2024 postseason, where he hit seven home runs and was named the ALCS MVP against the Cleveland Guardians. The shifted barrel design optimizes weight, allowing for improved swing speed and better control.
Stanton stated, “It’s something that makes a lot of sense, but it’s like, why hasn’t anyone thought of it in 100+ years? Then you try it, and as long as it’s comfortable in your hands.”
Similarly, Lane Thomas from the Guardians has also taken on the torpedo-style Old Hickory bat. He hit a grand slam against AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal in Game 5 of the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers. These helped the Guardians move on to the ALCS.
“You’re talking about wood baseball bats, so at the end of the day, we’re at the mercy of Mother Nature with most everything we do. This is a huge innovation already. It potentially could be even bigger,” said Travis Copley, Old Hickory’s vice president of sales and marketing, via Joe Lemire of Sports Business Journal.
The idea came from Aaron Leanhardt, who used to be a physicist at MIT and is now a baseball expert and coach. He saw that batters were hitting the ball outside of the normal sweet spot when he was in the minor leagues for the New York Yankees. To fix this, he came up with a design that moves the weight to the part of the bat where players usually hit the ball.
“You’re hitting the ball on this part [sweet spot] of the bat if we can move the bat there and therefore where you’re hitting it you can be rewarded you got to think about it and baseball players are very superstitious and if we get something and it works we’re going to stay with it,” Curtis Granderson stated to Bleacher Report show on April 2, 2025.
However, Jimmy Rollins had his doubts about the torpedo design during the show; he said, “I don’t know what happens as you hit it toward the end of the bat which is never good but with the traditional bats you still had some weight there.”
Several MLB players are still unsure about using them. Aaron Judge has opted not to try the torpedo bat, expressing doubts about altering his successful hitting technique.
After observing the Yankees’ success, Alec Bohm decided to try one, saying, “You see a team hit 20 homers, and you’re gonna try it.” However, he managed only a single hit and noted it “felt just like a normal bat,” expressing uncertainty about its continued use.
Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers believes that the Yankees’ success comes from their skill rather than the new bats, implying that the bats haven’t made a big difference.