Remember how Anthony Volpe came out swinging at the start of the season? With homers flying and fans chanting his name, it felt like the next big thing. But just as quickly as the hype built, it all came crashing down. The homers dried up, the energy faded, and the same fans who once crowned him as ‘Volpedo’ are now asking what went wrong.
Well, Torpedo bats have been one of the most talked-about topics this season. These newly engineered bats are tapered toward the end, shifting the barrel closer to the hitter’s hands. Because of that unique weight distribution, some even called for them to be banned, as more and more players started using them, including the likes of Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm Jr, and Paul Goldschmidt.
But midway through the season, the player who sparked all the buzz with his early power hitting is now struggling with a torpedo in hand, and a former Red Sox player found that ironic. After the loss to the Blue Jays, the Yankees fans were anything but patient with Volpe’s performance. Host of the Yankees Unloaded podcast, Gary Sheffield Jr., took to X, writing: “Anthony Volpe is hitting .229 this year and he’s a .228 hitter for his career in 1,467 at-bats. What’s this mean?”
The response came from ex-Red Sox veteran Jeff Frye — and it wasn’t the friendly kind. “The Torpedo Bat doesn’t work?” Frye replied with a shrug emoji. Well, after all the hype at the start, no one would have guessed Volpe’s bat would go completely silent.
The Torpedo Bat doesn’t work? https://t.co/SfjqYsctWv
— Fryedaddy/Frito (@shegone03) July 1, 2025
The 24-year-old Yankees’ shortstop homered five times in the first five games. But, since then, he’s added only four more. He’s now hitting just .226/.306/.711 with 9 home runs and 44 RBIs. To add to the fans’ frustration, he also leads the AL in errors (11). And worse? He doesn’t seem too bothered about it at all.
After one poor throw in the sixth inning of New York’s 5–4 loss to the Blue Jays, Volpe said, “There are some plays where you’re going to be aggressive,” and added, “I’m going to go for that play every single time. Ball gets knocked down, and it’s not an error. I expect to make that play, whether it’s in the book or not.”
Downplaying an error? That’s not what you expect from a player who earned a Gold Glove in his rookie year. Not only has his bat gone cold, but Volpe’s defensive shortcomings are also costing the team dearly. So here’s the bottom line: torpedo bat or not, it doesn’t matter if the player isn’t hitting the ball.
While Frye rubbed salt into the wound by calling back to the bat’s hype, another Red Sox legend had already dismissed the torpedo before, none other than Big Papi himself.
When Big Papi shrugged off the Torpedo hype
The Yankees’ flashy experiment with the torpedo bats has lost its buzz and is now making headlines for all the wrong reasons. But when Volpe was lighting it up early, it was all anyone could talk about. Even though its legality was questioned, the torpedo bat was never banned. But do players really need it to hit the ball out of the park? MLB icon David Ortiz didn’t hold back when he tried the bat for himself.
“Give me a toothpick and I’ll hit the motherf—r,” Ortiz said. Not an exaggeration — it’s Big Papi we’re talking about. And with that remark, he landed a direct hit on the Yankees’ bat hype. “Everyone is b—-ing about it. It is legal. You still gotta hit it,” he further added.
And now, with players struggling despite using the torpedo, Ortiz’s words carry even more weight. It’s not about the bat, it’s about skill and execution.
It’s also worth noting that Cal Raleigh, who currently leads the league with 33 home runs and 77 RBIs, also uses a torpedo bat.
So rather than the bat, there may be many reasons behind Volpe’s slump, from poor mechanics to hand-eye coordination, but the fact that he was at the center of the torpedo discussion makes it all the more relevant whenever he struggles. Can he break the slump? Time will tell!
The post Yankees Take Heat From Ex-Red Sox Star as Anthony Volpe’s Slump Reignites Bat Debate appeared first on EssentiallySports.
