Giancarlo Stanton Used the 'Torpedo Bat' Last Year Teammate Says

Everyone in baseball continues to buzz about the Yankees’ use of their so-called “torpedo” bats and speculate about the effect it is having on their explosive offense to start the season. There are also more questions about whether the new bat is the answer to the mystery of Giancarlo Stanton and his ongoing elbow issues

Stanton, currently sidelined with ligament damage in both elbows,told reporters that his injuries were likely tied to “bat adjustments” he made during the 2024 season. When pressed for more specifics, Stanton declined to elaborate, according to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.

Now, it appears Stanton was also among the early adopters.

Yankees outfielder Jasson Domínguez told Hoch that Stanton had used the bats last season. While the team or Leanhardt has not confirmed that detail, it provides a potential link between Stanton’s statement and the Yankees’ internal experimentation with new equipment. 

New York Post columnist Jon Heyman reported there was speculation in the Yankees camp about how Stanton ended up with tendinitis in both elbows. He reported that the theory was that Stanton had switched to a different bat at the suggestion of someone no longer with the Yankees organization.

The “torpedo” bats were developed by former Yankees staffer and MIT physicist Aaron Leanhardt, whose design aimed to shift mass closer to the hitter's hands to create a quicker, more controllable swing path without sacrificing barrel size. The bats have been used by several Yankees, including Jazz Chisholm Jr., who hit two home runs Sunday.