Here is the result in plain text:
Two days after the New York Yankees’ offensive outburst in the Bronx made torpedo bats the talk of baseball, Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz decided to try one for the first time in batting practice. By the end of the Reds’ 14-3 rout of the Texas Rangers on Monday night, the 23-year-old slugger had used it to go 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double and seven RBIs.
“I just wanted to know if it felt good,” he said, “and it definitely does.”
But while the bats have only recently become a major storyline across the league, it turns out that experiments with the uniquely shaped bats that caused a national uproar over the weekend have actually been happening quietly across baseball — and for a long time.
Aaron Leanhardt, a 48-year-old Miami Marlins coach, has been credited by many with being the brains behind the bats, which were first highlighted when Yankees players used them in a franchise-record nine-home run performance and 20-9 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.
“There were definitely some major-league players that swung it in the big leagues in 2023,” Leanhardt said Monday. “As well as some minor-league players who swung it in some real baseball games in 2023, and it just kind of built up throughout 2024 into what it is today.”
The bats won’t be under the radar anymore. Players across the sport have started asking the manufacturers for their own versions of the bats. Retailers started selling them to the public online. Chandler Bats is now offering a model designed for Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. for $239 per bat. Victus is offering three models, one a signature Anthony Volpe version, while Marucci has a Francisco Lindor “torpedo pro exclusive” bat for sale.
The bats differ from traditional models due to their torpedo shape, which comes from redistributing its weight so that the most dense part, or the “sweet spot,” is closer to the handle.
Birch seems to be the preferred wood for the bats, which were designed to help hitters make truer contact in an age where more and more pitchers are throwing 100 mph and offering nastier repertoires than ever thanks to technical and analytical advancements.
Major League Baseball has said the bats are completely within its rules.
“It’s kind of exciting,” Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Max Muncy said. “We just had a long conversation about (how) in the 170 years and whatever that baseball has been around, the number of changes to the baseball bat has been minimal.”
For decades, most players swung bats made of ash until Barry Bonds helped popularize maple bats in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
“I mean,” Muncy said, “everyone swung ash for 140 years and then you had one guy swing maple, and then they came out with birch, and really, that’s been all the changes. There’s been different shapes, but there hasn’t really been anything as drastic as maybe what this is right now.”
The hype around the bats made for an unusual scene at LoanDepot Park on Monday. The Marlins made Leanhardt available to reporters outside of their dugout. When he was with the Yankees last season, Leanhardt didn’t speak to the media.
“There’s a lot more cameras here today than I’m used to,” he said. “… It’s definitely been surreal for the last couple of days.”
Leanhardt — through conversations with coaches, players, MLB and bat companies — developed prototypes that eventually landed in the hands of Yankees players. Chisholm, Volpe, Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt and Austin Wells are among the Yankees using them this season. However, right fielder Aaron Judge — perhaps the best power hitter in the game — said he will not.
In a video posted to Instagram, Brett Laxton, a bat maker for Marucci Sports and a former big-leaguer, said that Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton was using one of their torpedo bats when he hit seven home runs in the postseason last year. Rookie Jasson Domínguez also told reporters that Stanton had been using one.
Adding to the intrigue is the fact that major league players are now wanting to get their hands on the bats, with many placing orders.
“I have learned absolutely nothing other than that they look like bowling pins,” Dodgers utility man Enrique Hernández said. “I ordered some. All of the cool kids are doing it.”
A real question remains: Do they actually make a difference?
“I think that’s still up for debate,” said Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers, who has been using a torpedo bat. “I don’t think it’s going to be something that’s an end all, be all for everybody, that everybody’s going to start swinging these bats and become better hitters. I think this might work for some people and might not for others. For me, I’m giving it a little bit of a trial period, see how I like it. The thoughts behind them seem good, but I think there’s still a lot of trial and error with it. It’s so new.”
Source link
