Aaron Leanhardt is the mastermind behind the now-famous—and somewhat controversial—Torpedo Bats that have been turning heads across MLB this season. The New York Yankees have been launching home runs with ease through their first three games, fueling even more attention toward Leanhardt’s creation.
So far, the Yankees have already set multiple home run records thanks to the Torpedo Bats—one a franchise record and another a historic MLB milestone, with multiple players in the lineup homering in the same game, a rare feat unlikely to be replicated by another team anytime soon.
Leanhardt echoed what Jazz Chisholm Jr. previously revealed about the bats, emphasizing that while they help, success ultimately comes down to the hitters’ mechanics. “I’m happy to always help those guys get a little bit better,” Leanhardt said. “But ultimately, it’s up to them to put good swings on good pitches and grind it out every day. So credit to those guys.”
“This has definitely been a project that’s taken over two years to get to this point,” Leanhardt told reporters. “So whether it’s one offseason, a full season, two offseasons—that tends to be just the time scale for guys to, maybe not just buy in, but also for us to help make the adjustments to make it playable, actionable on the field for them.”
MLB Players Regularly Test New Equipment
Leanhardt revealed that most players experiment with new tools, training methods, and innovations during the offseason. Ultimately, they decide whether to adopt them, and that’s how several Yankees players ended up using the Torpedo Bats.
“A lot of guys will test stuff behind the scenes, but they won’t take it to the field necessarily until it’s really dialed in for them,” Leanhardt explained. The bat designer’s work has already benefited players like Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells, while Rangers slugger Joc Pederson has also confirmed he’s ready to use it.
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The Simple Science Behind the Torpedo Bats
In an interview with The Athletic, Leanhardt broke down the straightforward design of the bats. “It’s just about making the bat as heavy and as fat as possible in the area where you’re trying to do damage on the baseball,” he explained. In essence, the design isn’t drastically different from bats that have been used in the past.
Surge in Demand for Torpedo Bats
With the Yankees’ early-season power surge, demand for Torpedo Bats has skyrocketed. Reporter Andy Slater recently revealed that a representative from Chandler Bats confirmed multiple professional players—including international stars—are placing orders.
Another supplier, Marucci Sports, has also reported a significant uptick in demand for the bats. Prices for a Torpedo Bat range from $90 to over $200, depending on the model and brand.