Main League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred not too long ago addressed the appearance and rising recognition of the so-called “torpedo bat,” a bowling-pin formed bat the recognition of which has coincided with a very modest spike within the league home-run fee relative to final season.
In an interview with the New York Instances, Manfred mentioned this of the brand new fashion of bat:
“They’re completely good for baseball. I consider that points just like the torpedo bat and the talk round it show the truth that baseball nonetheless occupies a singular place in our tradition, as a result of folks get into a whole frenzy over one thing that is actually nothing on the finish of the day. The bats adjust to the foundations. Gamers have truly been shifting the candy spot round in bats for years. Nevertheless it simply demonstrates that one thing in regards to the recreation is extra essential than is captured by tv rankings or income or any of these issues, when you’ve the discussions and debates about it.”
‘I believe they’re going to be banned’: What’s the way forward for MLB’s torpedo bats? Insiders weigh in on baseball’s new fad
R.J. Anderson
The torpedo bats, which have been used at the least since spring coaching, grew to become a subject of widespread dialogue after the New York Yankees launched 9 residence runs towards the Milwaukee Brewers on March 29. A few of the Yankee hitters who homered used the torpedo bats (though not Aaron Choose), and the YES Community broadcast of the sport briefly defined the use and origin of the bats, sparking a frenzy of discourse and hypothesis.
The torpedo bat was pioneered by Aaron Leanhardt, a former Yankees front-office staffer who’s now a coach for the Miami Marlins. He designed the bat in order that the mass was concentrated within the space the place hitters are likely to make contact extra regularly, which theoretically optimized their contact in a manner that extra conventional trendy bats don’t.
Whereas the way forward for the bats could also be at the least theoretically unsure, Manfred definitely would not sound inclined to push for any rule modifications that may ban the torpedo bat.
