This past winter, the Mets signed a historic contract with the crosstown Yankees to acquire Juan Soto, making it the biggest acquisition in the team’s history. That was an early indication of how the Mets are setting up a formidable offense this year. In contrast, the Yankees were gasping to get out of the loss of Soto. Back to the present, The Yankees are steamrolling their opponents, and the Mets are yet to find their rhythm. While the newly introduced Torpedo bats can be attributed to the Yankees’ success, names like Juan Soto are biting their own words. Are torpedo bats creating the difference on the field?
This year, the Yankees just got their performance-enhancement in the form of a bat-Torpedo! Using specially designed torpedo bats, which use a bowling-pin form to give additional solidity to the section of the barrel where their hitters are making contact, the Yankees have become the center of the 2025 regular season. They have hit 15 homers in the first three games, more than any other MLB team. Currently, the Bronx is leading the chart with 36 runs, while the Mets are with 15 runs. So, is it all because of the torpedo bats, or is it just the skills?
“I had teammates last year that asked me if I wanted to try it, but it never caught my attention,” Juan Soto said to the New York Post. “But, yeah, I would try it.” So, Soto was well aware of the torpedo bats. If his words are something to go by, it was a no-go for him last year. So, what made backtrack now? A solid 15 home runs by the Yankees over their first 3 games. Soto scored only 1 home run as of now this season. Hence, he should be well tempted to get a torpedo bat going forward. So, can some added meat in the center of the bat could change Soto’s fortune this year?
Well, it hasn’t changed the fortune of another Mets slugger Francisco Lindor. He is the only one from the Mets using torpedo bats and still went 0-11 till Sunday. The use of torpedo bats surely added a few benefits to the batters. However, at the end of the day, it is the hitting skills that come into play. “With certain bat modifications and stuff now, guys are doing whatever they can to catch up with the pitching, because pitching across the league is pretty darn good,” Pete Alonso said. So, it might be a matter of time before Soto is seen with a torpedo bat on-field. However, it will be his skills that will be tested, rather than the tools he is using.
It’s not the arrow, it’s the Indian
“What I did the last couple of seasons speaks for itself,” Judge said. “Why try to change something if you have something that’s working?” Judge’s 58 homers last year and 3 homers in the 2025 opening game all came with his conventional bat. Remember his first home run in the 2025 opening game that went for 468 feet? So, why change his bat when things are going fine? Judge’s stats also prove that the Yankees’ performance this year has more to do with their stacked offense and less with the torpedo bats.
“The Yankees had an offensive explosion, and they are a very talented offense and that can happen even if some of the guys weren’t using the torpedo bat,” Alonso added further.
The torpedo bats will garner some more debates and discussion in the MLB circuit and many more players are anticipated to introduce their own. But is it still all glittering? Torpedo is no magic wand that will make all the difference. Judge further added the redistributed mass in torpedo bats affects the sledgehammer. “If you bring that weight down the handle, it gets easier and easier to swing, but the sledgehammer becomes less and less effective because the weight is too close to your hands, and that leverage changes.” So, while torpedo bats are effective in enhancing the swing velocity, the hitting power might be limited.
Nonetheless, it’s an individual preference, and torpedo bats can be a differentiating factor to a limited extent. Let’s see if this bat can turn around the fortune of Juan Soto this year.
Do you think the torpedo bat is the key reason for the Yankees’ early success? Share your views with us below.
The post Juan Soto Backtracks Torpedo Bat Stance Amid Yankees Home Run Onslaught After Turning It down Last Season appeared first on EssentiallySports.
