Should the torpedo bat be banned? Here’s what the MLB commissioner had to say

The New York Yankees have made headlines early in the 2025 season with their use of the controversial ‘torpedo bat’. The Yankees hit a franchise-record nine home runs in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 29, a testament to the new bat’s efficacy.

The torpedo design essentially shifts the bat’s sweet spot to a different point, allowing it to be customised to better suit players’ styles. Questions of legality have been raised by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has insisted that the torpedo bat is “absolutely good for baseball”.

“I believe that issues like the torpedo bat and the debate around it demonstrate the fact that baseball still occupies a unique place in our culture,” Manfred told The New York Times. “Because people get into a complete frenzy over something that’s really nothing at the end of the day. The bats comply with the rules.”

The principle behind the bat is nothing new and has actually been deployed for a few years by Aaron Leanhardt, formerly a Yankees coach who now works for the Miami Marlins. Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton used the torpedo bat in 2024 and looks set to continue with it in 2025.

Bat controversy shows MLB popularity, commissioner claims

Yankees manager Aaron Boone has already come out in defence of the torpedo bats, saying the team is “just trying to be the best we can be.” ESPN reports that other teams have moved to order the bats in recent weeks, suggesting that the trend is here to stay.

“Players have actually been moving the sweet spot around in bats for years,” Manfred explained. “But it just demonstrates that something about the game is more important than is captured by television ratings or revenue or any of those things, when you have the discussions and debates about it.”

If nothing else, the Yankees’ early season success with the torpedo bats does suggest that the MLB’s most successful team are sticking around in 2025. Last year the Yankees made it to the World Series but were beaten by a star-studded LA Dodgers team. Could the torpedo bats help them to challenge again this season?

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