For months, baseball fans patiently awaited the return of the game they love. Now, the regular season is underway and we couldn't be off to a hotter start. Well, unless you're the Atlanta Braves. I'm sure the Braves would like to get a complete do-over for the 2025 season because they're off to one of the worst starts imaginable.
Opposite of the Braves, the New York Yankees are off to as hot a start as ever. It seems like every hitter in New York's lineup is slugging like a prime Barry Bonds. No, actually.
In 2001, Bonds posted a slugging percentage of .863. On Saturday and Sunday, the Yankees' lineup has a slugging percentage of well over .900. The Bronx Bombers are currently hitting like a lineup of Bonds' and it's completely ridiculous.
And a lot of it can be chalked up to the newly innovative "torpedo bat" that the Yankees debuted this weekend.
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What is the torpedo bat? New York's not the only team using them
Everybody is still learning about this new piece of technology, so any explanation is subject to change as it develops as an invention.
A torpedo bat is a new kind of bat that has a lot of the wood and weight of the bat moved from the traditional barrel down to the label. The idea behind this is to move the density and weight of the bat to the place where hitters hit the ball the most. So, if a player continues to get jammed, move the hardest part of the bat to the label and these jam shots will turn into barrels.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. has also seen a quick uptick in bat speed alongside his three home runs to begin the season. I haven't been able to hold one of these new bats, but there's a chance with the weight moved closer to the hands, the bat feels significantly lighter which allows the hitter to increase their bat speed.
It's completely legal and the Yankees aren't the only team using them.
Teams across the league including the Baltimore Orioles have been reportedly using them. There are plenty of other teams using them, too. It's well within the legality of the rules, so there's no reason to issue any hate to the Yankees for being the first ones to figure it out.