MLB reactions to Yankees’ ‘torpedo bats’ range from ‘it’s terrible’ to ‘they should send a few over here’

You’re going to hear a lot about “torpedo bats” in the coming days, and perhaps most of this MLB season if the New York Yankees and other users of this funky new equipment keep launching souvenirs out of ballparks.

Here’s how Yahoo Sports’ Jack Baer described the bats that went viral over this past weekend and grabbed your attention:

Apparently, the Yankees have crafted a new sort of bat that reallocates some of the wood lower down on the barrel, putting more mass in the area that actually strikes the ball. It basically makes the end of the bat more shaped like a bowling pin.

To be clear, the bats are LEGAL. Sorry, Yankees haters.

Advertisement

Here’s what a few folks, mostly players, had to say about the bats across MLB to various publications covering them:

Anthony Volpe, New York Yankees shortstop: “I know I’m bought in. The bigger you can have the barrel where you hit the ball, it makes sense to me.”

Jazz Chisholm Jr., New York Yankees third baseman: “It doesn’t feel like a different bat, it just helps you in a little way, I guess.”

Cody Bellinger, New York Yankees outfielder: “I started swinging this one in spring or before spring, kind of early on, and I was like, ‘Oh it feels good.’ It was an ounce lighter than the one I was swinging, but I think the way the weight was distributed felt really good.”

Advertisement

Aaron Judge, New York Yankees outfielder: “What I did the past couple of seasons speaks for itself. Why try to change something if you have something that’s working?”

Pat Murphy, Milwaukee Brewers manager: “Players are doing everything to try to get an edge today legally and I think they should. I think whatever is good for the offensive game is good for the game.”

Trevor McGill, Milwaukee Brewers reliever: “I think it’s terrible. We’ll see what the data says. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I feel like it’s something used in slow-pitch softball. It’s genius: Put the mass all in one spot. It might be bush [league]. It might not be. But it’s the Yankees, so they’ll let it slide.”

Manny Machado, San Diego Padres third baseman: “I have no idea what they are. They should send a few over here if they’re gonna be hitting homers like that. Whoever is making them can send a few over to Petco with this big ballpark.”

Triston McKenzie, Cleveland Guardians pitcher: “They [hitters] might be more susceptible to spin because there’s less barrel at the end of the bat … It could help the hitters, but it might also hurt them.”

Advertisement

Lane Thomas, Cleveland Guardians outfielder: “I have a little bit of that in my bats. See how it’s shaved a little at the end and the barrel is right there? The Yankees are just an exaggerated version. It looks like it works. I’ll need to see it for a couple of more weeks before I go and get one.”

Cedric Mullins, Baltimore Orioles outfielder: “Trying to give hitters any kind of edge, because pitching is only getting better and it’s getting harder to hit. It’s an interesting concept. When it was first introduced to us, I didn’t know how widespread this thought process was, but it’s getting around pretty quick.”

Tyler O’Neill, Baltimore Orioles outfielder: “Maybe I’ll give it a try.”

Davis Schneider, Toronto Blue Jays oufielder: “I feel like guys with either shorter arms or who kind of crowd the plate a little bit, it’s gonna help a little bit just because you’re not gonna get jammed.”

Advertisement

Ernie Clement, Toronto Blue Jays third baseman: “You still have to hit it. If you square it up with a normal bat, it’s a home run as well. I don’t think it’s a huge difference, but I think for certain guys it’ll help and for certain guys it won’t matter.”

Carlos Correa, Minnesota Twins shortstop: “Cutters, sweepers, sliders, any pitch running away that you hit further down the bat, those are tougher to hit hard.”

This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.