The Washington Nationals are a rebuilding team that's finally starting to show real progress after a rough half-decade, but the New York Yankees' 'torpedo' bats

It has a seemingly inflated barrel that is thickest and heaviest where the player most frequently makes contact, then narrowing at the end.

Former Yankees infielder Kevin Smith explained this new bat shape is called the "torpedo" and was designed by someone in the team's front office. It's pretty straightforward. The "torpedo" is intended to decrease misses and increase barreled balls.

YES announcer Michael Kay pointed out during the broadcast that several players had been using a design with a barrel closer to the hands.

Baseball season is back, and it didn’t take long for the New York Yankees to start crushing records and dominating conversation. And at the center of it all? “Torpedo” bats.

It was only a matter of time until the bats reached retail, as Marucci and Victus released three Torpedo Bat models for purchase on their site Monday night. This got us thinking: What are some of the other viral sensations that have made their way from pro sports to the masses?

"The Yankees are bringing a lot of publicity to them with their performance thus far, but they weren’t a secret in the industry prior to this weekend.” An AL executive meanwhile told Feinsand they believe the Yankees tying an MLB record with 15 home runs in their first three games of the 2025 season will help bring more publicity to the bats.

High school baseball players use aluminum bats during the prep season but use wood bats in some youth and high school leagues.

The secret of the Yankees' new bats—everyone's calling them "torpedo bats" and, honestly, why not?—got out during the second inning of Saturday's tilt at Yankee Stadium, when YES Network announcer Michael Kay called attention to the shape of the lumber and its intended effect: At that point,