The world of baseball is buzzing about a new type of bat. This bat is called the torpedo bat. It has a unique shape. It is not like the traditional bats that have been used for over a century. The torpedo bat has a bulbous shape. This shape is designed to help hitters make better contact with the ball. The idea behind the torpedo bat is simple. If hitters tend to make contact with the ball in the same spot on the bat, why not design the bat to perform better in that spot?

The torpedo bat is legal. It follows Major League Baseball's rules. The rules state that the bat must be a smooth, round stick. It can't be more than 2. 61 inches in diameter or 42 inches in length. The weight of the bat is also important. Babe Ruth used heavy bats, but today's bats are lighter. They weigh around 31 or 32 ounces. The torpedo bat is designed to reduce weight. This is important because pitchers are throwing faster than ever. So, why hasn't this design been tried before? The person who came up with the idea has a background in physics. This might explain why the design is so innovative.

The torpedo bat breaks an unwritten rule in bat design. For decades, a bat's diameter increased from the handle to the barrel. Then it rounded off at the end. The torpedo bat's diameter widens and then narrows. This changes the dynamics of the bat. Moving weight from the end of the bat closer to the hands reduces the swing weight. This makes the bat easier to swing and control. Another benefit is that the bat can have a wider diameter in the batter's favored location. This gives a larger surface to make contact with the ball.

But does the torpedo bat necessarily mean more power at the plate? Not exactly. If you lower the swing weight, you increase your swing speed. This is important for hitting the ball farther. But, by lowering the swing weight, you have less mass to hit the ball with. It's like swinging a sledgehammer. If you swing it really fast and make contact with the ball at the head, it will go far. But it's hard to swing a sledgehammer with that much speed and accuracy. For the average person, lowering the swing weight of a bat means the batted ball speed goes down a little bit. But major league hitters are not average people.

The torpedo bat might boost a less measurable factor: batters' confidence. The game of baseball is superstitious. If a batter finds something that makes them more confident, it's going to work. Pitchers are likely to see more batters holding oddly swollen bats. They might wonder, "What the heck is that thing? " While the Yankees are drawing headlines for using torpedo bats, players on at least eight MLB teams have tried the bats. Several of baseball's approved bat suppliers are making versions of them. If all of the manufacturers aren't already making them, they will be soon.

The New Shape of Power: The Torpedo Bat Revolution

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