04/25/25
March 31, 2025
Not the Same Bat Time or the Same Bat Channel: The New York Yankees opened the 2025 season by hitting a record 15 home runs in their first three games. Nine were hit by players using a new bat design dubbed the bowling pin or torpedo bat. "This bat is just trying to say: What if we put the mass where the ball is going to hit so that we have an optimized equation of mass and velocity?" said bat whisperer Scott Drake.
MLB rules give the allowable dimensions (length and circumference), weight, and composition (single piece of wood) of the bat. Other than being straight, round, and wood there are no other restrictions save for color and the amount of tape permissible on the handle. The "torpedo" shape (closer to a mortar round) places more mass toward the handle rather than toward the end. Isn't the allowable "cup" at the end of some bats a less effectual attempt to do the same thing?
This being April 1, I might propose the new "banana" bat which is curved slightly. If swung with the convex side toward the pitcher, the batted ball will tend to go toward the opposite field. Conversely, when swung with the concave side toward the pitcher, the batted ball will tend toward the pull side. If swung with the bend in a vertical plane, the bat will give slightly more coverage of the strike zone. I will be filing a patent application soon.
posted by Howard_T at 11:47 PM on April 01, 2025
I'll buy one of those bats right now, Howard
posted by NoMich at 08:34 AM on April 02, 2025
I'm a big fan of the 1983 America's Cup race, when the Australian challengers finally broke through and won thanks to Ben Lexcen's brilliant winged keel design that provided a novel advantage but still kept their yacht within the strict 12 meter guidelines.
So this bat development is right in my wheelhouse, you might say.
posted by beaverboard at 12:17 PM on April 02, 2025
When do we see this style of bat get banned?