The MLB season is in full swing, with big games, big bats, and big controversies already on the docket for the 2025 season. Opening Day took place on March 27th and 28th, but not without its problems.
During the New York Yankees Opening Day game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Yankee players such as Jazz Chiasm and Anthony Volpe debuted their use of the controversial torpedo bat. In their series against the Brewers, the Yankees hit a combined 15 home runs in three games, which tied the major league record for the most home runs hit by a single team in that timeframe. Many questioned the legality of the use of the torpedo bat, causing a debate around the league.[1]
The torpedo bat was invented by Aaron Leanhardt, currently working with the Miami Marlins as their field coordinator.[2] During his time as a minor league hitting coordinator with the Yankees, he integrated the use of quantitative information with on-field performance and preparation to help develop what we now call the “torpedo bat” – where the fattest part of the bat is in the middle, rather than at the tip of the bat.[3] Thus, the torpedo bat carries its weight in the spot where the players hit the ball the most.[4] While discussion around the bat circulated after the Yankees had incredible success with them in their first three games, the torpedo bat has been around the league, as Yankees star Giancarlo Stanton and New York Mets star Francisco Lindor both used the bats in 2024.[5]
Many have spoken out regarding the use of torpedo bats. Yankees’ General Manager Aaron Boone stated the torpedo bats are “one of the things that’s gotten pointed out. I say to you guys all the time, we’re trying to win on the margins and that shows up in so many ways.”[6] In other words, Boone suggests that while many have discussed the torpedo bats through the first few games, it is only one of the things that have made the Yankees successful through the opening few games of the MLB season.
Further, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said that the torpedo bats and the discussion around it are good for the sport. Specifically, the bats and all the noise around it “demonstrate the fact that baseball still occupies a unique place in our culture, because people get into a complete frenzy over something that’s really nothing at the end of the day.”[7] torpedo bats are completely legal under the current MLB rulebook. As of today, there are minimum requirements on what type of bats MLB players can use. MLB rules and regulations allow the maximum diameter of the barrel to be 2.61 inches, with a maximum length of 42 inches. Additionally, the shape of the barrel must be smooth and round.[8] Because of the lack of regulations, the shape of the barrel, which is the main function of the new torpedo bats, fits within the MLB rules today.[9] However, this could be subject to change under the new MLB collective bargaining agreement, set to expire on December 1st, 2026.[10]
Would the torpedo bats be drawing the same amount of attention if other, lesser-known players had the same success? If another team less popular (for good or bad) had the same success as the Yankees, would the conversation be as hot of a topic? Whether baseball fans like it or not, the conversation around the torpedo bats ARE good for baseball. The discussion keeps people talking about baseball and continues to grow the game for the younger generations, who want to replicate the success players on the Yankees have – and to “Get [their] hands on the most talked-about bat in the game.”[11]
[1] https://sports.yahoo.com/article/yankees-more-mlb-history-amid-202747752.html?guccounter=1.
[2] https://www.mlb.com/news/aaron-leanhardt-discusses-invention-of-torpedo-bats.
[3] Id.
[4] https://www.npr.org/2025/04/05/nx-s1-5352855/yankees-brewers-torpedo-bats.
[5] https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/44504681/mlb-2025-torpedo-bats-legal-taking-baseball-faq.
[6] https://sports.yahoo.com/article/yankees-more-mlb-history-amid-202747752.html?guccounter=1.
[7] https://apnews.com/article/rob-manfred-torpedo-bats-robot-umpires-5b9d808217cbdcafa17884272dc75475.
[8] https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/44504681/mlb-2025-torpedo-bats-legal-taking-baseball-faq.
[9] Id.
[10] https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/details-from-the-new-2022-2026-collective-bargaining-agreement/.
[11] https://apnews.com/article/rob-manfred-torpedo-bats-robot-umpires-5b9d808217cbdcafa17884272dc75475.
[12] https://newsforkids.net/articles/2025/04/03/new-torpedo-bats-are-a-big-hit-in-baseball/.
Alex Brockhuizen (’25) is pursuing her JD at the University at Buffalo School of Law, with a concentration in Sports Law. After graduation, she will be working at Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC. At UB, Alex is co-director of the Labor and Employment Law Society and Treasurer of the Buffalo Sports Law and Entertainment Law Society. She is also Business Editor of the Buffalo Law Review, where she was deemed a finalist of the Note and Comment Competition her 2L year. Alex is also a former two-sport athlete at Elmira College.
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