Meet Aaron Leanhardt, the MIT PhD scholar who is the brain behind Yankees' controversial torpedo bats

The torpedo bat has become one of the most talked about aspects of the the 2025 MLB season. While it may not have been a household name just yet among baseball fans, it may not be long before the controversial baseball bat becomes a regular part of every team's equipment.

The torpedo bat, which has changed the design of the traditional baseball bat, bulking up the area of the barrel that is closer towards the hands. This is an area where more players make the most contact with the ball. This bat has been the talk of Major League Baseball, especially after several New York Yankees were using the new design during their 20-9 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

The man behind the design is Aaron Leanhardt, who has all of a sudden become the most popular figure with the Miami Marlins. A field coordinator and coach or the Miami Marlins, Leanhardt's journey to the top of the MLB headlines is arguably more interesting than the adjustments he helped make with the torpedo bat.

Leanhardt graduated from the University of Michigan with an electrical engineering degree before earning a doctorate in physics from MIT. As if this isn't impressive enough, he went on to work on a NASA-funded project which resulted in scientists cooling sodium gas to the lowest temperature ever.

He even went on work as a physics professor at the University of Michigan. The 48-year-old moved out of academcs, taking a huge career pivot into baseball, joining the New York Yankees as a minor league coach in 2018. Leanhardt's torpedo bat has taken some time to catch on, however, it's clear from the reactions to it that it could become a key piece of equipment in the future.

"It's taken over two years to get to this point... Alot of guys will test stuff behind the scenes but they won't take it to the field before it's really dialed in for them," Leanhardt said in an interview before Miami's game on Monday night.

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Jazz Chisholm Jr. has been an adamant supporter of Aaron Leanhardt's torpedo bat

While many players have either been using the bat or have expressed interest in trying it out in the future, there may be no bigger supporter of the new design more than Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.

The Bahamian slugger has been red-hot at the plate so far this season, posting a tremendous .417 batting average with three home runs and six RBI through 12 at-bats this year. It will be interesting to see if the adjustments made to the bat will allow Jazz Chisholm Jr. will be able to put together an All-Star season.