TORONTO — Weird but interesting. That's Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider's take on torpedo bats.
The New York Yankees turned heads during their season-opening homestand, tying a major-league record with 15 home runs in their first three games of a season and tying a club mark with 13 home runs in two games (nine Saturday and four Sunday).
Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, Austin Wells, Anthony Volpe and Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered using the torpedo bats in New York’s 20-9 rout Saturday of the Milwaukee Brewers.
The bat moves wood lower down the barrel after the label. The idea is to to bring more mass to a bat’s sweet spot.
"It looks weird and I think anything that is new and looks weird is story-worthy," Schneider said prior to Monday's game against the visiting Washington Nationals. "So whether or not it's a competitive advantage, I don't really know."
Blue Jays outfielder Davis Schneider has two of the torpedo bats and used one in one at-bat in the opening series against Baltimore (he did not get a hit).
B45, his bat manufacturer, showed him the bat during spring training.
"I kind of liked the way it felt," Davis Schneider said. "It's kind of similar to the bat I've used already so I didn't really see a big difference. It's just like a bigger sweet spot."
But Davis Schneider, who likes a bigger barrel to his bat, says it's hard to tell this early in the season.
"It feels good," he said. "You've still got to square up the ball, you've still got to be on time with everything so it's not like it's a cheat code or anything or that. It's still a bat. It's not that big a deal, in my opinion."
Still, he says he plays to use the new bat "a lot." Right now he only has two, so he wants to save them. Another 12 are on the way.
He has already lent one to third baseman Ernie Clement, who has been trying it at batting practice.
"Bo (Bichette) and Vladdy (Guerrero Jr.), they're going to us their own bats, like they've been using for their whole career" said Davis Schneider. "It's more of a feel thing than anything else. Not everyone's going to like it, just the way it feels. A lot of people like a skinnier barrel so they can feel the whip through the zone. So everyone's kind of different in that aspect."
Outfielder George Springer plans to stick with his existing bat.
"I've used the same bat my whole career," he said. "I don't think I'm going to go away from the one that I like."
Relief pitcher Jeff Hoffman isn't too concerned.
"My plan is for them to miss it … If they're hitting it, I'm not doing my job," he said.
"I don't care what they're using," he added. "They could use a boat oar if they want."
Pitcher Kevin Gausman is taking a wait-and-see attitude.
"To a lot of people this is kind of coming out of nowhere," he said.
The bats are said to pass MLB rules.
"I think it's just the game evolving with technology and the times really," said John Schneider.
But he's going to wait for a bigger sample size.
"I think if the Yankees didn't hit 15 homers, we wouldn't be talking about it," he added dryly.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2025.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
