Torpedo bat designer says it’s more about the players than the bat model
MIAMI: For the MIT-educated physicist behind the torpedo bat, it’s more about the talent of the players than their lumber at the plate.
The torpedo model — a striking design in which wood is moved lower down the barrel after the label and shapes the end a little like a bowling pin — became the talk of major league baseball over the weekend.
The New York Yankees hit a team-record nine homers that traveled a combined 3,695 feet on Saturday. Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, Austin Wells, Anthony Volpe and Jazz Chisholm Jr.
all went deep using a torpedo bat. New York’s 15 homers through 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 who is being credited with the design.
“It’s about the hitter and their hitting coaches. I’m happy to always help those guys get a little bit 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, a field coordinator for the Miami Marlins, said the origin of the bat dates to 2023, when he worked for the Yankees. He said several versions were tested that didn’t create the desired effect.
Leanhardt was approached by major league and minor league players early in the design stage, seeking information on the bats.
“I’ll let the players always 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 and offering design advice and demoing them.”
Leanhardt said the past couple