The New York Yankees have stormed into the 2025 Major League Baseball season with a record-breaking 18 home runs in the first four games – and an unusual new bat design, known as the “torpedo bat.” These bats, featuring a barrel positioned closer to the batter’s hands, are designed to maximize contact and power, and they’re rapidly gaining popularity – and controversy – across the league. However, some are questioning how these bats will hold up against unpredictable weather conditions, or if they’ll provide any kind of advantage during windy or rainy games.
The Basics Of The Bat
The idea behind torpedo bats is to concentrate the bat’s mass where it’s most likely to come into contact with the ball. Unlike traditional bats, which have a more evenly distributed barrel, torpedo bats have a thicker barrel at the bottom, near the hitter’s hands. This unique shape allows for quicker swings and more precise contact. An MIT physicist is credited with developing the bat, which is technically legal under current MLB regulations.
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Weather’s Impact
The size and shape of the torpedo bat offer no advantage against rain, wind, cold temperatures, or humidity. However, the bat may come with a slight disadvantage on gusty days. Its altered weight distribution may impact swing mechanics, particularly when facing strong crosswinds.
Because of how the torpedo bat works—by shifting more of the weight closer to the base — it makes the bat easier to control and swing faster, but also makes it more susceptible to being affected by gusts of wind mid-swing. A traditional bat with more weight at the end might be less impacted because of its inertia, whereas a torpedo bat could be thrown off balance more easily by sudden wind resistance. This could result in unexpected performance dips during blustery conditions, potentially neutralizing any advantages offered by the torpedo bat.
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Is This The Future?
The Yankees aren’t alone in adopting torpedo bats. Nearly a dozen other MLB players have been experimenting with the design, though results have been mixed. As spring gives way to summer storms and autumn chills, teams and players will have to closely monitor how these new bats perform in varying elements.
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