Ex-Yankees hitting coach dismisses torpedo bat craze with hitting demo

Former MLB All-Star and ex-Yankees hitting coach Sean Casey delivered a masterclass on hitting with a torpedo bat, dismissing the craze surrounding the latest bat model.

In an appearance on MLB Network with Brian Kenny published on April 7, Casey demonstrated how the weight distribution in torpedo bats is nothing new in comparison to other bat models from the past.

In particular, Casey, who served as Yankees batting instructor in 2023, pointed out:

“What they’ve done here, it’s really nothing new, to tell you the truth.”

Casey went on to discuss how Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe became the prototypical player for torpedo bats. He explained how analytics led to Volpe becoming a prime candidate:

“What they found was Volpe was kind of the prototype… most of the balls he hits, he hits a lot of balls down near the label… So, now they’re taking some of that wood off and moving it down to the sweet spot down a little bit, which is totally things that they’ve always done.”

The masterclass highlights how moving the barrel in a torpedo bat allows hitters, like Volpe, to make contact with the thickest part of the bat more often than not.

Casey demonstrated how other models, such as the ones former MVP Albert Pujols swung, had similar differences in weight distribution.

As a result, Casey concluded that torpedo bats are merely the next iteration in what has otherwise been an ongoing arms race to develop the next-best bat model.

MLB Commissioner names Yankees player who used torpedo bat last season

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred gave torpedo bats his seal of approval. In a piece published by NBC News on April 7, the outlet quoted Manfred as saying about torpedo bats:

“They’re absolutely good for baseball.”

The comment, as originally reported in the New York Times, is a strong endorsement for the use of torpedo bats. Manfred highlighted that such bats are nothing new. He named Yankees DH Giancarlo Stanton and Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor as two players who used the bats last season.

Manfred doubled down on his comments, reportedly stating:

“Players have actually been moving the sweet spot around in bats for years. But it just demonstrates that something about the game is more important than captured by television ratings or revenue…”

The Commissioner’s comments underscore how torpedo bats should not be viewed as any form of cheating. If anything, these hitting devices are part of the innovations that eventually make their way into every sport.

With torpedoes likely here to stay, it will be interesting to see how pitchers adjust to the use of these next-generation hitting devices.