The 2025 MLB season has barely started, and already, the New York Yankees have lobbed a thunderbolt across the league. The buzzword on every dugout bench is “torpedo bat.” This got the Atlanta Braves thinking after a historically bad start to this season.
Let’s rewind to Opening Weekend. Yankee Stadium turned into a launchpad, with New York blasting 15 home runs in just three games—tying an MLB record for the fastest power surge in league history. But it’s not just the numbers that have people freaking out. It’s how they’re doing it.
Bat Science from MIT
The secret weapon is apparently a custom-designed bat straight out of a lab. The Yankees literally brought in a physicist from MIT to re-engineer the traditional wooden bat.
The concept is to shift the mass—yes, the actual wood density—to where each individual hitter most often makes contact. So, it’s not just a custom bat; it’s a custom physics equation for each swing.
Not Every Slugger Is Sold On the Torpedoes
Not every Yankee is on board just yet. Aaron Judge, for example, has already smacked four home runs using his old bat—because when you’re a human wrecking ball, maybe you don’t need new tech.
But others like Jazz Chisholm and Anthony Volpe? Oh, they’re loving it. And why not? These bats are producing explosive exit velocity and launch angles that make pitchers want to cry in the dugout bathroom.
Atlanta Braves Join the Arms Race
Other teams are noticing. Buster Olney mentioned the Atlanta Braves have placed an order for these bats on ESPN’s Sunday night broadcast. That’s not speculation—that’s a bat-arms race in real-time.
When a power-packed lineup like Atlanta’s says, “We’ll have what they’re having,” you better believe other franchises are circling the bat racks with curiosity (and maybe a little panic).
So the question becomes: are we witnessing a revolution in baseball offense? Or just a hot start with a shiny new toy? Either way, pitchers around the league might want to invest in a little extra pine tar and prayer—because these torpedo bats are locked, loaded, and drawing a target on every fastball thrown across the plate.
