A bat designer asserts that player skill is more crucial than the bat model in performance.

MIAMI April 1, 2025: The MIT-educated physicist behind the torpedo bat emphasizes that it’s more about the skill of the players than the bat itself.

The torpedo design — a unique shape where the wood is moved lower down the barrel after the label, creating an end that resembles a bowling pin — gained significant attention in major league baseball over the weekend. The New York Yankees set a team record by hitting nine homers that totaled 3,695 feet on Saturday. Players like Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, Austin Wells, Anthony Volpe, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. all homered using the torpedo bat. The Yankees’ 15 homers in the first three games matched the 2006 Detroit Tigers for the most in major league history.

“At the end of the day it’s about the batter, not the bat,” said Aaron Leanhardt, a former physics professor at the University of Michigan credited with the bat’s design. “It’s about the hitter and their hitting coaches. I’m happy to help them get a little better, but ultimately it’s up to them to put good swings and grind it out every day. So, credit to those guys.”

Leanhardt, 48, now a field coordinator for the Miami Marlins, explained that the bat’s creation began in 2023 while he was working with the Yankees. Several prototypes were tested before achieving the desired results.

Leanhardt noted that players from both major and minor leagues approached him early in the design process to seek advice about the bats.

“I’ll let the players talk about their own experiences. I’m not going to drag anyone into this,” Leanhardt said. “But there were definitely players on both sides in 2023 asking questions, offering design advice, and demoing them.”

Leanhardt admitted that the past few days had been “surreal,” with some of Miami’s players joking around as he spoke to the media before their game against the New York Mets.

“The industry as a whole was probably a little bit more aware of this than you guys were,” he said. “Players have been asking me about it and wanting to swing them.”

Bat manufacturer Victus Sports provided a batch of torpedo bats to the Phillies just before their home opener on Monday. Alec Bohm tried one, took a few swings, and decided to use it.

His reasoning seemed logical: seeing how the Yankees had performed with it. “You see a team hit 20 homers, and you’re gonna try it,” Bohm said. “It didn’t work.” Bohm ended up with just one single with the new bat and noted it “felt just like a normal bat” but wasn’t sure if he’d use a torpedo again soon.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich didn’t feel the bats had any impact during their opening series against the Yankees. “I think they have a lot of really good players. That’s probably the biggest factor in how that went,” he said.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza mentioned that shortstop Francisco Lindor had used a similar bat in their series in Houston after receiving the models late in spring training.

“Nothing new for us,” Mendoza said. “This is something every team, every player looks for — an edge and ways to improve within the margins. This is a perfect example.”