The New York Yankees set the MLB world on fire when they scored 36 runs in a three-game sweep over the Milwaukee Brewers to begin their 2025 campaign. What was most impressive about the team's offensive onslaught was the power that they displayed. The Yankees hit 15 home runs in the three games, including nine in the middle game of the series - a game in which they scored 20 runs.
This series was nothing short of historic for the Yankees. Given that, MLB fans and even some players called the Bronx Bombers out, calling them cheaters for using what is now known as torpedo bats. Not everyone on the Yankees used one, but enough players did for fans and players to express frustration. Brewers closer Trevor Megill wasn't shy when it came to ripping the Yankees for their torpedo bat usage.
“I think it’s terrible,’’ Megill told the New York Post's Dan Martin. “We’ll see what the data says. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I feel like it’s something used in slow-pitch softball. It’s genius: Put the mass all in one spot. It might be bush [league]. It might not be. But it’s the Yankees, so they’ll let it slide.”
It's easy to see why Megill was so frustrated. The torpedo bats are designed to make the sweet spot thicker, making it easier for hitters to make solid contact. While this might seem like an unfair advantage for hitters, the bats are legal. Baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz made sure to note that and more while giving his review of the torpedo bats.
Big Papi would’ve broke Bonds record with a torpedo bat 😭 pic.twitter.com/f6luNHW1Oz
— DG Bet (@DGbet_official) April 10, 2025
"Now I know why they call it torpedo, because of the head, huh? You know, like I say, everyone's b****ing about it, but it's legal. You still gotta hit it," Ortiz said.
David Ortiz calls out pitchers complaining about torpedo bats, and he's right
Ortiz is spot-on here. Do the torpedo bats help hitters? Of course. They're designed to make the sweet spot larger, ensuring that when the ball hits the barrel, it will travel farther. With that being said, though, hitters still have to make contact on the sweet spot for this to make an impact. As the Yankees have shown, that's easier said than done.
The Yankees dominated the Brewers in their first series of the year, but they've gone just 4-6 since, and haven't scored more than four runs in any of their last five games.
This shows that while the torpedo bats help, they're far from the cheat code they were made out to be. It's still on the hitters to make good contact for them to make an impact. The Yankees did that against the Brewers, but have struggled to do so lately.
Hitters can attempt to gain any advantage possible, but at the end of the day, they still have to do the hardest thing in sports - make contact with a baseball coming in at high speed from 60 feet six inches away without knowing where or how the ball might move. A torpedo bat makes it easier to have more impact when good contact is made, but making that good contact is still the hardest part. Given that and the fact that the bats are legal, there's little for pitchers to complain about. If they execute, runs will be kept off the board. It's on them to do that.