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.
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“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.
“It became viral,” New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Monday. “But it’s nothing new for us.”
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.”
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