Yankees Controversial Torpedo Bats Make Thunderous Impact

They don't call them the Bronx Bombers for nothing.

The Yankees took the baseball world by storm with bats that had heads spinning. The Yankees crushed 15 home runs over the course of a three-game series sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers, including scoring 32 runs over a period of two days. And it's only March.

If you want to make a comparison to even a year ago, the most home runs a team hit in the month of March, was 10 by the Dodgers in six games. The Yankees, at this time a year ago, hit only five home runs in four games. They have tripled that in one less game this year.

What's the difference? The torpedo bat.

Over the weekend eight different Yankees hit home runs. Aaron Judge hit four bombs, but he admitted to not using the bat. Jazz Chisholm did use the bat, and smacked three bombs. This is a hitter who has never hit more than 19 home runs in a season.

Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger each rocked out pitches on the first pitch they saw Saturday from Nestor Cortes without a sweat.

Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells each hit a pair of fly balls that might not have left any other ballpark in MLB.

Amid the onslaught, the YES network introduced the world to the science of the Torpedo Bat, and ever since the baseball world has exploded. Everyone who has an opinion stated one over the past couple of days.

Many jumped on the bandwagon that the bats were illegal. Others called it bush league.

The internet of course trolled the Yankees for using what some described were Flinstone bats.

To their credit, the Yankees leaned into a scientific study from an MIT grad named Aaron Leanhardt and figured out a way to move the barrel of the bat down into the label of the bat to give hitters who need it, more of an advantage based on what part of the bat they hit with the most contact. The result is a bat that looks like a Wiffle bat.

Whether it is a direct result of this weekend's onslaught is being debated to the minute.

But the Yankees weren't the only ones using the bat. It's been making the rounds for a while.

Giancarlo Stanton used the bat a year ago. According to ESPN's Jeff Passon: "Stanton gladly embraced a bat that could make his dangerous swing even better -- and used it while pummeling seven home runs in 14 postseason games."

During a postgame session, Cody Bellinger claimed he used the bat last season while with the Chicago Cubs.

Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers used a similar torpedo bat this weekend and went 1-for-8.

Even the Atlanta Braves who lost four games this weekend in San Diego want to get in on the act.

Is it Legal?

According to MLB rules: "The bat shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 2.61 inches in diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length. The bat shall be one piece of solid wood."

The New York Times, via the Athletic, reported the bats are indeed legal, and now teams across the league are going to try to catch up.

Of course, this comes to the chagrin of people like Brewers pitcher Trevor Megill who questioned the legality of the bat, saying that MLB would let it slide since it's the Yankees.

At the end of the day the ball is baseball's court. With the Yankees' huge success in using the torpedo bat, every team, and virtually every player is going to want to use it. Whether it is steroids, greenies, or sign stealing, players are always looking to gain any advantage they can get.

The torpedo bat -- even if it is legal -- is no different. It gives the hitter an advantage. If the bats start rolling out in use more often, power numbers jump up to levels we haven't seen in many years, and complaints keep rolling in from pitchers; it will be up to baseball to course correct, and make a true decision on the use of the bat once and for all.