What MLB players and coaches are saying about torpedo bats

A week has passed since torpedo bats burst onto the country arsenic the speech of the 2025 MLB season, and the hitting innovation is inactive buzzing done the industry.

We asked our MLB reporters to speech to players and coaches to spot if they deliberation the bowling pin-shaped bat inclination is present to stay, however overmuch it truly helps hitters -- and if they judge it should beryllium allowed successful the majors.

Here's what those astir shot had to accidental astir the inclination taking the athletics by storm.

When did you archetypal perceive astir torpedo bats?

Andrew Benintendi, OF, Chicago White Sox: I had ne'er heard of it. I've utilized the aforesaid bat for 9 years truthful I deliberation I'll instrumentality with that. It's beauteous interesting. It makes sense. If it works for a guy, bully for him. If it doesn't, instrumentality with what you got.

Robert Van Scoyoc, hitting coach, Los Angeles Dodgers: I've heard astir bat fitting. We bash bat fitting and each that. I conscionable haven't heard astir this specifically. When I archetypal heard astir [torpedo bats specifically] was erstwhile everyone other benignant of knew astir it.

Ryan O'Hearn, archetypal baseman, Baltimore Orioles: (Orioles adjunct GM and erstwhile NASA engineer) Sig Mejdal deserves credit. Sig has been connected the torpedo bat for a agelong time. He's been trying to get guys to experimentation with it, usage it. He'll nonstop them out, nonstop america everybody. He sent immoderate successful the offseason. He sent maine the accepted torpedo bat and past helium sent maine a peculiar exemplary that, based disconnected of my batted shot data, would acceptable better. He's been each implicit it. I deliberation I archetypal heard astir it successful possibly the extremity of '23 from Sig. And past helium made them available. I took BP with it. I was unsure due to the fact that it does consciousness a small different. Not successful a atrocious way, conscionable different. I consciousness similar I was hitting balls and benignant of feeling the vibrations connected the end, which I didn't truly like.

Dansby Swanson, SS, Chicago Cubs: This offseason. It's conscionable caught on. People person utilized it before. It's not that new.

Adam Ottavino, seasoned reliever: I noticed past twelvemonth that determination were immoderate guys with antithetic shaped bats. I deliberation [Francisco] Lindor had one. And, honestly, I didn't deliberation excessively overmuch of it due to the fact that there's ever been a batch of tinkering with bat models since I've been successful the large leagues. There's truthful galore bat models. Even similar customized handles similar large knobs. Some hockey puck knobs. And there's similar those triangular knobs. So I didn't truly deliberation excessively overmuch of it. I didn't possibly recognize what they were going for.

Nolan Schanuel, 1B, Los Angeles Angels: I heard astir it successful outpouring grooming this year. Chuckie Robinson had a bat. We benignant of weren't superior astir it, you know? He pulled it retired and we were like, "Uh, that's benignant of strange." But the subject down it makes full sense. I didn't truly deliberation astir that from that standpoint astatine each until the subject came up for it and said wherefore it would payment definite people's swings.

[Robinson] ne'er utilized it ... I don't cognize if helium had it the twelvemonth prior, but for immoderate crushed helium had one. And we were conscionable like, "That's a weird-looking bat." I didn't deliberation thing of it until travel Opening Day, you spot each these guys swinging it successful the regular season.

Martin Maldonado, C, San Diego Padres: I don't cognize thing astir it different than what I work connected Twitter.

Have you utilized a torpedo bat earlier and if not, are you readying to effort it now? If so, however did it feel?

Max Muncy, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers: It felt good. The plaything felt good. But aft the Dylan Lee at-bat (in which Muncy struck retired successful the sixth inning past Wednesday), I felt similar the bat was causing maine to beryllium a small spot off-plane, a small spot successful and retired of the zone. My swings felt really, truly bully contiguous but conscionable a small spot off. So the past at-bat I decided conscionable to spell backmost to my regular bat.

Matt Shaw, 3B, Chicago Cubs: I've utilized it successful batting practice. I wasn't a large fan. The value felt a small heavier. The shot feedback wasn't arsenic good. But we'll see.

Swanson: It's not the cleanable product. There are truthful galore nuances involved. I've committed to utilizing it capable to get a bully illustration size. There is decidedly validity successful everything, but it conscionable has its media craze close now.

Jed Hoyer, president of shot operations, Chicago Cubs: I talked to [Swanson] a batch this wintertime astir it. He was precise open-minded. It's a process. That's wherefore we wanted to person guys usage them successful outpouring training. The much the seasoned guys bash it, hopefully that has a carry-over effect.

Michael A. Taylor, OF, Chicago White Sox: I would emotion to effort one. I'm definite everyone is trying to bid 1 close now. It's interesting. I'm not excessively educated connected the subject down it, but it seems beauteous straightforward. I tried the axe bat past the puck bat truthful the torpedo bat is the latest thing. I privation to effort it.

Byron Buxton, OF, Minnesota Twins: I haven't tried it. Not going to effort it either. I've been doing perfectly good with my bats. No constituent successful trying to power it up now. People blowing up the Yankees astir each the homers they hit. Same guys that deed homers are the aforesaid guys that deed homers past year. It's not that large of a deal.

O'Hearn: I've utilized a torpedo bat for 1 large league at-bat. I struck out. And past I threw it successful the trash. Didn't adjacent marque contact. I'm weird, man. I conscionable retrieve guys laughing astatine me, being like, you're done with it already?

Salvador Perez, catcher, Kansas City Royals: No, but it's interesting. I'm going to speech to Davy (Royals VP of large league squad operations Jeff Davenport) astir that. Are we going to enactment successful immoderate orders for that bat? I talked to Gary Sanchez yesterday. He utilized the bat yesterday. The archetypal clip that I saw that bat, I grabbed it. Big barrel. I deliberation if it helps, wherefore not? Why not conscionable effort it retired and spot what happens?"

Mark Canha, outfielder, Kansas City Royals: It wasn't thing I was alert of during outpouring until that fractional of the archetypal week. I'm utilizing benignant of a modified 1 close now. It's torpedo-esque. It's not arsenic drastic. I didn't adjacent cognize what I was ordering. Pete Alonso told maine to get that model. It's great. And usually helium knows a lot. He's truly likes worldly similar that. So I benignant of conscionable trusted him, and it's been working. I similar it. But I bash similar that there's much barrel, a small little than I'm utilized to swinging. It feels a small different. It's not arsenic ringy erstwhile I get it person to the label, which I like.

Schanuel: I mostly miss [the ball] connected the interior broadside of the barrel, truthful if I miss the barrel, I get jammed the most. If I were to get a torpedo bat ... I deliberation it would assistance maine retired a lot, particularly my bat way and seeing the shot deep. I'd beryllium much than consenting to effort it yet.

Nicky Lopez, 2B, Los Angeles Angels: I gave it a small spot of a trial tally successful outpouring grooming due to the fact that that's what everyone was benignant of doing. But it takes a small spot of getting utilized to.

Your full vocation you've been utilizing a bat that you know, and you cognize wherever the saccharine spot is, and it's 1 benignant of length. You person the specifications of it and you benignant of consciousness wherever that tube is, and present erstwhile you determination that tube down a small bit, you person to refine wherever that saccharine spot is. It takes a small spot to get utilized to. I utilized it a small spot successful BP and I'm going to proceed to usage it and conscionable spot wherever it's at.

Nico Hoerner, 2B, Chicago Cubs: I've utilized it since mid-spring training. Every AB I've taken this twelvemonth has been with immoderate mentation of the reverse taper tube (which is what the Cubs telephone the torpedo bat). Still successful the process of figuring that out, but I similar it. It's not thing I'm reasoning of erstwhile I spell to the plate. A misconception I've heard is guys are not changing what they bash to acceptable the bat. It's benignant of the opposite.

What bash you marque of the mode the taxable has blown up crossed the sport?

Ottavino: I mean, listen, archetypal of all, it's the Yankees and they scored a cardinal runs successful the archetypal fewer games and it's chill to hatred the Yankees and it's chill to look for the boogeyman and that's what immoderate radical are going to bash and can't truly halt that. But there's besides a batch of misinformation and noneducation connected it too.

I was successful Boston this outpouring and determination were a clump of guys utilizing those types of bats implicit determination too. So, they're each implicit the place. It's not unsocial to this organization. Maybe it originated successful [the Yankees clubhouse], but I mean, there's nary secrets successful baseball. Everybody's going to beryllium utilizing what they think's going to springiness them the champion result. So I don't truly marque excessively overmuch of radical complaining astir it, honestly.

Schanuel: I deliberation it'll assistance out, particularly to boost violative performances. I deliberation it's bully for MLB itself. Fans would similar to spot it. Everyone loves homers. Everyone loves erstwhile guys get connected base. I deliberation it'll assistance retired a lot. I mean it's conscionable breathtaking talking astir it.

Mark Leiter, reliever, New York Yankees: I wouldn't accidental I'm amazed conscionable due to the fact that I deliberation there's a level of it's thing to speech astir successful a large market. I mean, conscionable the information that it's wrong the rules and stuff, I conscionable deliberation it's much astonishing that it took this agelong for idiosyncratic to bash this. Just due to the fact that you cognize astir customizing play clubs and worldly similar that. Like, it makes a batch of sense.

Buxton: Everyone is blowing up the Yankees astir each the homers they hit. Same guys you spot deed homers, are the aforesaid guys that deed homers past year. It's not that large of a deal. It's similar erstwhile the sweeper came around. We were like, "What's a sweeper?" We had ne'er heard of sweepers. And present we've ne'er heard of torpedo bats and present they pop.

Shaw: The Yankees hitting a clump of location runs made it stroke up. Aaron Judge not utilizing the torpedo bat is comic to me. It blew up with the Yankees, but helium doesn't plaything it. You tin intelligibly spot some sides. They mightiness work, but the aged bats enactment too. The quality mightiness beryllium precise small.

Do you deliberation it should beryllium allowed successful the athletics to usage torpedo bats?

Canha: Yes. I bash consciousness similar we request each the assistance we tin get. These guys are throwing truthful hard now. But it's not a cheat code. We'll spot however it plays retired implicit a small bigger illustration size.

Freddie Freeman, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers: I bash not look down connected anybody. If it's legal, you tin bash immoderate you want. I swung the aforesaid bat for 16 years. I volition not beryllium changing to a torpedo bat. I've swung the aforesaid length, ounces, everything. If it works for the guys, spell for it. I cognize immoderate of our guys are getting them, so, we'll see. I volition not beryllium swinging them.

Jake Cronenworth, 2B, San Diego Padres: [Torpedo bats] springiness everyone thing to speech about. If immoderate squad deed 15 location runs, you'd beryllium like, "What bats are they using? Are they legal?" And they are.

Are torpedo bats a inclination based connected this week's buzz oregon thing that is present to stay?

Lopez: I deliberation so, yeah. I truly do. I deliberation this tin beryllium a bully happening for a batch of hitters.

Van Scoyoc: I'm definite immoderate guys volition effort it out. Someone gets hot, past you'll astir apt spot much guys going to it. I deliberation it's good. In pitching they person Trackman. In hitting we do, too. But we don't seizure the bat, which is fundamentally our aforesaid equipment. That's wherefore I deliberation hitting is down -- due to the fact that they conscionable get much accusation that's utile a batch faster.

O'Hearn: It's benignant of similar the axe grip oregon puck knob. I deliberation conscionable due to the fact that the Yankees went bananas for 2 games, it's going to stroke up. And I honestly felt atrocious for Sig erstwhile it went brainsick due to the fact that I was like, I don't cognize if helium was the archetypal 1 connected it, but I consciousness similar he's sitting astir somewhere, like, 'I privation the Orioles would've done this.'

Freeman: I committedness you I person not work a happening astir it. I lone cognize there's a torpedo bat and it looks benignant of similar the barrel's shorter oregon little down. That's each I've got. Nor volition I work into it. That's conscionable me. I'm not the close feline to inquire those benignant of questions. I plaything the aforesaid bat each day.

Muncy: Baseball is not a one-size-fits-all sport, going from socks to batting gloves to shoes to pants. It's not a 1 size fits each for anyone successful this game. So, everyone swings different. Everyone likes their bat different. There's immoderate guys I deliberation it could beryllium a existent payment for, and there's immoderate guys it mightiness beryllium a detriment. I inactive don't cognize wherever I'm astatine connected that scale.

Hoerner: I deliberation [it's a trend]. There was the axe handle. A batch of guys with the Red Sox had occurrence with that. Then successful 2021, determination was the large puck knob trend. You inactive spot immoderate of those. This is simply a small antithetic erstwhile you're changing wherever you interaction the shot with. The assemblage is inactive out. I don't look astatine that Yankees bid and deliberation it would person been a wholly antithetic bid without the bats. It's astir marginal differences implicit the people of 600 ABs. That truly matters.

Hoyer: This isn't the benignant of thing, 1 squad did it and everyone copied. There were a fig of teams connected this. There is simply a batch of attraction due to the fact that of the size of the marketplace and [the Yankees] scored 20. Guys were hitting successful the cage with them past year. Pete [Crow-Armstrong] utilized it successful a crippled past twelvemonth successful September (he flew out). It's new, but it's not similar it started crippled 2 past play and everyone copied it quickly.