The science behind Yankees' torpedo bats explained by its inventor - an MIT physicist
In a game often rooted in tradition, a new baseball bat is making waves, shaking up the sport with its unique design and unprecedented results. Dubbed the "torpedo bat," this innovative piece of equipment is gaining attention after the New York Yankees dropped a jaw-dropping 20 runs in just their second game of the season.
As many as five players on the team are using the new bat.
Mastermind of torpedo bat
The mastermind behind the design is Aaron Leanheardt, a former Massachusetts Institute of Technology physicist turned coach for the Miami Marlins. Leanheardt, who introduced the new bat to the Yankees last season before joining Miami, credits the players who took a chance on his early prototypes.
"It's credit to the players that had the conversations with me two years ago and were willing to be patient zero and to demo the first versions of this," Leanheardt says.
He said that players will take a couple of seasons testing out the bats and getting used to them, but ultimately, he hopes to see more and more "torpedo bats" across the league.
"All I can say is I was one of those smart guys for so long that grew up swinging those old weird looking bars as well," Leanheardt says. "It's not until now that maybe you know anyone thought about this, myself included."
Torpedo bat vs. regular bat
Dr. David Pritchard is a physicist at MIT and friend of Leanheardt. He said the physics of the classic baseball bat design do not add up.
"When you look at the design of a classic baseball bat, the physics just don't add up," said Pritchard. "When the ball comes in and hits the sweet spot, it bends the bat and so some of the energy goes into bending the bat and that's what makes the noise."
The "torpedo bat" addresses the issue by shifting the maximum diameter of the bat closer to the sweet spot, or the area where the ball makes contact. According to Pritchard, this shift alters the physics of the game.
Pictures of torpedo bat
"The bat is a little fatter there," Pritchard said. "And so, every now and then a pitch that otherwise would have been a strike is now a foul and any pitch that would have been a little too high and been a long fly ball is now a little bit lower and goes over the fence."
What sets the "torpedo bat" apart is not just its design but the way it integrates modern physics into America's pastime. Pritchard believes that this is just the beginning.
"He's taking a scientific approach to this thing, and using our training, maybe not in the realm we anticipated it," Pritchard said.
