You may have heard about “torpedo bats” at some point in the last week.
The New York Yankees broke out their reimagined bats during MLB’s opening weekend, when they tied the Major League record with 15 home runs in their first three games of the season. The bats feature an untraditional barrel that rests closer to the batter’s hands. Torpedo bats are designed with more wood in the area of the bat where the hitter is more likely to hit the ball. Each player using the bats has a slightly different model, with the bat’s shape specifically customized to maximize results for that specific player.
Yes, the Yankees have a literal genius MIT Physicist, Lenny (who is the man), on payroll. He invented the “Torpedo” barrel. It brings more wood – and mass – to where you most often make contact as a hitter. The idea is to increase the number of “barrels” and decrease misses. pic.twitter.com/CsC1wkAM9G
— Kevin Smith (@KJS_4) March 29, 2025
On Monday night, Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz belted two homers with seven RBI in his first game using the new-style bat. Teams around the league are rushing to order the reimagined bats for their players to try out. As a result, torpedo bats are sure to dominate workplace water cooler conversations all week.
But there’s a new piece of equipment that’s sure to be the talk of the town as well. Introducing, the “torpedo stick”, which some Vancouver Canucks players are expected to try out over the final eight games of the regular season.
The easiest way to describe the new torpedo sticks is to imagine a mallet putter or a driver from golf. With the torpedo sticks, there is added mass behind the blade. However, because the blade itself is shorter in length, the sticks are legal by NHL standards. Due to that, only a few Canucks players plan on making the switch, and it’s expected captain Quinn Hughes will be among them. At practice, Hughes was letting go of slap shots that reached as high as 127 miles per hour while using the new stick technology.
There are some concerns for the overall safety of the players and the stability of the plexiglass, but the NHL’s Head of Equipment Safety Ivan Drago says this is a situation they are eager to see unfold.
Personally, we can’t wait to see the new torpedo sticks in action.
Happy April Fools’ Day from all of us at CanucksArmy!
