There's no reality to the concept of a magical baseball bat.
Torpedo Bat: Revolutionizing Baseball
In an interview at Victus Sports in Pennsylvania, Jared Smith discusses the torpedo baseball bat on April 2 [AP/YONHAP]. This innovative equipment is making waves in the world of baseball with its unique design.
The torpedo baseball bat, unlike traditional bats, has a thicker barrel and a narrower top handle, resembling a torpedo or sausage. This design concentrates the bat's mass around the sweet spot, the ideal area for making maximum contact with the ball. The purpose of this alteration is to boost hitting power and consistency.
Aaron Leanhardt, a former MIT physicist and former staffer of the Yankees, is credited with developing the torpedo bat concept. Leanhardt drew inspiration from player swing data and physics principles while working as a minor league hitting coordinator for the Yankees. He collaborated with a member of Victus' parent company, Marucci Sports, in Louisiana, to refine the bat and introduce it to professional play. The bat began to gain attention after New York Yankees players using it hit an impressive number of home runs at the start of the 2025 MLB season [1][2][3].
Jared Smith, of Victus Sports, has also taken an active role in popularizing and educating the public about the torpedo bat. Initially, only a few baseball enthusiasts inquired about the bat, but after seeing its success in the major leagues, interest soared. Initially, the bat was only available to professionals, but Victus plans to extend its availability to the general public in the near future. Smith explained that the manufacturing process for the bat is similar in cost and complexity to standard bats, with a specific shape that concentrates more mass in the barrel area while keeping the cost around $200 [1].
All in all:
- The torpedo bat focuses mass on the barrel, expanding the sweet spot for improved hitting.
- Aaron Leanhardt, a former MIT physicist and ex-Yankees staffer, developed and fine-tuned the bat's innovative design.
- Jared Smith of Victus Sports has promoted and educated the public about the bat's benefits, following its success in professional leagues.
- The bat's unconventional shape and its influence on player performance have contributed to its swift rise in popularity across MLB and beyond.
This innovation represents a physics-driven approach to baseball equipment design aimed at optimizing bat weight distribution for enhanced player performance [1][2][3].
The physics-driven design of the torpedo bat, spearheaded by Aaron Leanhardt, a former MIT physicist, has been instrumental in expanding the sweet spot for improved hits. Smith, from Victus Sports, played a significant role in popularizing the bat and educating the public about its advantages, following its success in professional leagues. The Joongang Daily reported on the torpedo bat's rise in popularity, noting that it is set to become more accessible to the general public soon, while maintaining a reasonable cost of around $200. Leanhardt's innovative concept, a seamless blend of baseball history and smartphone app technology, has revolutionized the sports equipment industry, embodying the spirit of Icarus who dared to defy the odds.