The New York Yankees teed off on the Milwaukee Brewers at will on Saturday, with some interesting equipment.
Amid a nine-homer, 16-hit demolition of the Brewers' pitching staff — which started with three straight homers off old friend Nestor Cortes and ended with a final score of 20-9 — YES Network broadcaster Michael Kay explained at least a few of the Yankees were using a new type of bat.
Apparently, the Yankees' front office has crafted a new sort of bat that basically moves some of the wood lower down on the barrel, putting more mass in the area that actually strikes the ball. It basically makes the end of the bat more shaped like a bowling pin.
Michael Kay explains that the Yankees made new bats "where they moved a lot of the wood into the label so the harder part of the bat is going to strike the ball."
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Kay's explanation:
"The Yankee front office, the analytics department, did a study on Anthony Volpe and every single ball, it seemed like, he hit on the label," Kay said. "He didn't hit any on the barrel. So they had bats made up where they moved a lot of the wood into the label so the harder part of the bat will actually strike the ball."
It is unclear how many of the Yankees were using these bats, and for how long. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe both appeared to be using them Saturday, but photos from spring training appear to show Chisholm using them and Volpe not using them.
Cody Bellinger also used them in spring training and on Saturday, and provided a review to the New York Daily News earlier this month:
“There’s ways to move the weight of the bat. Some guys like top heavy, some guys like hand-loaded bats,” Bellinger said. “You just gotta find a bat that feels good, that kind of moves with you.
“I’m a believer in swinging different things.”
So we're a bit unclear on how many of the Yankees' 12 balls hit with an exit velocity of at least 100 mph were hit with the bowling pin bats. Chisholm went 2-for-5 with a homer Saturday, while Volpe was 1-for-4 with a homer and two walks.
Are the Yankees' bats illegal?
While some might object to them, the bats don't appear to break any MLB rules. The league only stipulates bats can be no longer than 42 ...
