MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred lent his support to the so-called torpedo bats, which have captured the attention of baseball fans and pundits since the start of the 2025 season.
The bats were first highlighted during the New York Yankees’ opening day game against the Milwaukee Brewers. Eyebrows were raised further when New York mashed nine home runs against the Brewers in the second game of the season.
More players have since begun using the bats, even as pitchers have complained. But Manfred backed the use of it in a recent interview.
“I believe that issues like the torpedo bat and the debate around it demonstrate the fact that baseball still occupies a unique place in our culture, because people get into a complete frenzy over something that’s really nothing at the end of the day. The bats comply with the rules,” he told the New York Times.
Manfred added that “players have actually been moving the sweet spot around in bats for years” and highlighted the debate about baseball going being ratings and attendance.
Baseball Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins also weighed in on the debate in an interview on OutKick’s “The Ricky Cobb Show.”
“Well, when you look back at the game when I played in the ‘60s, ’70s, ’80s, the pitcher was pretty much dominant, and now we are like second-class citizens. Everything has been done for the hitter. Like, you say the clock, the bases are bigger, you have an over glove, which gives you an extra three to seven inches sliding into the bag ahead of the throw,” Jenkins said.
In addition to the rule changes that favor hitters, Jenkins said the torpedo bats are just the latest thing in baseball that will help them.
“There is more of a hitting surface for the hitter, and I think it might increase the batting average a little bit, but you will get a better piece of wood on the ball and the ball will maybe travel a little further,” he said.
“Who knows? A couple of extra-base hits, and now one hitter sees one of his teammates use it. Now, he wants to use it. I can believe before the All-Star break every ball club is going to have a half-dozen hitters using that torpedo bat.”
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