Canadian company scrambles to keep up with ‘Torpedo Bat’ mania

Thanks to the New York Yankees’ success using a newly designed ‘torpedo bat,’ a Quebec bat manufacturer has been getting inundated with requests.

A Canadian bat company is scrambling to keep up with a wave of interest after a breakout weekend for baseball’s latest innovation: the torpedo bat.

The somewhat unusual-looking bat shifts the barrel’s biggest mass closer to the hitter’s hands. It became an overnight sensation after the New York Yankees launched a jaw-dropping 15 home runs during their opening series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Nine of those bombs came in a single game on Saturday, with five Yankees swinging torpedo bats.

Since then, Quebec-based bat manufacturer B45 has been inundated with calls and messages from players eager to get their hands on one.

“Interest has been crazy. Demand has been crazy,” said Marie-Pier Gosselin, B45’s general manager.

B45, known for crafting birch bats for over two decades, is one of several manufacturers producing torpedo bats. The design has truly hit the big leagues after last weekend’s slugfest.

“The torpedoes themselves, we’ve been aware of them for around a year. It just never really caught on,” Gosselin said. “And then all of a sudden, the Yankees’ game on Saturday just changed the narrative completely.”

Demand has exploded across the baseball world.

“Every single baseball player right now, it feels like, is interested in getting their hands on those bats,” Gosselin said. “We’ve been getting requests from Japan and Taiwan, and obviously in the States, with professional players being a major part of it.”

The science of slugging

The torpedo bat is the brainchild of Aaron Leanhardt, a former MIT physicist and ex-Yankees coach, who now works for the Miami Marlins.

B45 assistant general manager Olivier Lepine explained that while traditional bats concentrate mass at the very end, torpedo bats shift it lower, right at the so-called “sweet spot.”

But does it actually give hitters an advantage? The jury’s still out.

“We probably have to wait and see after a couple of seasons if the players get the same stats,” Lepine said. “The next few weeks or few months we’ll probably know more about it.” ’

From spring training to the big time

Former Yankees catcher, Jose Trevino, was among the first to test B45’s torpedo bat during spring training in 2024. A few other players followed but the bat didn’t get much traction. That was until Giancarlo Stanton used one during last year’s World Series run, where he crushed seven postseason homers.

Then came last weekend’s barrage of homers for the Yankees.

“Since Monday, we received a lot of messages from players, amateur side and professional side. They all want to try the torpedo bat,” Lepine said. “And we say, ‘Yeah, we’ll make it for you.‘”

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Davis Schneider is already on board. He owns two torpedo bats from B45 and placed an order for a dozen more.

Schneider told CTV News he’s a fan of the bat’s larger barrel and plans to make it his go-to bat at the plate.

“I feel like the bigger the barrel the bigger the sweet spot, so you can’t go wrong with that,” he says. As for critics suggesting it’s cheating or gives hitters an unfair advantage, Schneider isn’t buying it.

“I think its overblown,” says Schneider. “The Yankees are hitting a lot of home runs but (Aaron) Judge hit four without it and you’ve still got to hit the ball.”

B45, which employs 10 people at its facility in Quebec City, has ramped up production and expects to start shipping more bats to pro players by the end of next week.

The company has received 30 requests from major leaguers and dozens more from amateurs since Saturday.

Twelve current big leaguers are swinging the Canadian-made torpedo bat. That number is expected to grow fast.

“They need to try them out for themselves to see if the trend is going to stick,” Gosselin said.

“Within a month they’re going to be in stores as well.”