NEW YORK — Revolutionary tech or junk science? Much ado about nothing or the next big trend in baseball?
The truth with torpedo bats, as with most everything, is probably somewhere in between.
Meaningful or not, the new hitting tech has swept across baseball, garnering eyeballs and headlines. The New York Yankees' offensive decimation of an undermanned Brewers pitching staff provided the spark, genuine curiosity the fire. Because even though the misshapen sticks were in use dating to last season, they’ve exploded in popularity over the past week.
How statistically significant these bats are remains an open question, answerable only with time and a larger sample of data. But another compelling question came to the fore Tuesday in the Bronx: Can these new-age bats cause injuries?
Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton doesn’t buy it.
The gargantuan designated hitter, currently on the injured list due to tendonitis in both elbows, has yet to see game action this season. During spring training, Stanton told reporters, including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, that his ailing ‘bows were related to “bat adjustments” he made during the 2024 season. The bizarre nature of his injury and Stanton’s early adoption of the torpedo bats — he used them for much of last year, including during New York’s postseason run — only thickens the plot.
But on Tuesday, Stanton walked things back, clearly wishing to uncouple his current predicament from the bat now taking MLB by storm.
"You're not going to get the story you're looking for," he said, implying that members of the media were attempting to pin his elbow problems on the torpedo bats. “So if that's what you guys want, it isn't going to happen."
Asked whether he's surprised by all the attention these bats have garnered over the past week, Stanton replied, “Yeah, but when there's a narrative, that's how it rolls.”
