'Torpedo' bat explodes on to the scene

Leanhardt was approached by major league and minor league players early in the design stage, seeking information on the bats.

"I'll always let the players talk about their own experiences. I'm not going to drag anyone into this," Leanhardt said Monday. "But, there were definitely guys on the major league side and on the minor league side in 2023 that were definitely asking me questions, offering design advice and demoing them."

Leanhardt said the past couple of days had been "surreal". Some of Miami's players joked around with him as he answered questions from the media before their game against the New York Mets.

"The industry as a whole was probably a little bit more aware of this, maybe, than you guys were," Leanhardt said. "Guys have been asking me about it. Guys have been wanting to swing them."

Bat manufacturer Victus Sports dropped off a batch of torpedo bats to the Phillies just before the first pitch of their home opener on Monday. Alec Bohm grabbed one, took about five swings and decided to use one.

His logic seemed sound: Look how it might have contributed to the Yankees opening weekend slugfest.

"You see a team hit 20 homers and you're gonna try it," Bohm said. "It didn't work."

Bohm managed just one single with his new lumber. He noted it "felt just like a normal bat", and wasn't sure if he would swing with a torpedo again any time soon.

"It's a bat. It's different," he said. "It'll probably run its course."

Victus and Marucci Sports started selling torpedo bats online on Monday. Each company highlighted its offerings on social media. Chandler Bats also had new torpedo bats on its website.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich said he didn't feel like the bats had any effect on 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 said shortstop Francisco Lindor used a similar bat in their series at Houston. He got the models late in spring training.

"Nothing new for us," Mendoza said. "This is something that every team, every player continues to look for, an edge and find ways to improve within the margins. And this is a perfect example."

Agencies Via Xinhua