Yankees Catcher J.C. Escarra Defends 'Torpedo' Bats, 'You Still Have to Swing the Bat'
New York Yankees catcher J.C. Escarra doesn't want to hear any claims that his team is getting any sort of advantage from the torpedo bats that have taken over MLB to start this season.
Speaking to TMZ Sports, Escarra said "you still have to swing the bat" to hit the ball.
The torpedo bats drew attention on Saturday when YES Network broadcaster Michael Kay said on the telecast of the Yankees' home game against the Milwaukee Brewers the team had new bats made that "moved a lot of the wood into the label so the harder part of the bat is going to strike the ball."
Normally a comment like that wouldn't generate significant attention, except it came in the midst of a game where the Yankees hit a franchise-record nine homers in a 20-9 victory. They hit 15 total home runs in a three-game sweep of the Brewers.
The bats have actually been used in professional baseball since 2023, with some big leaguers using them last season. Yankees players aren't the only ones who have been using them so far in 2025.
Players from eight different teams, including the Yankees, have been confirmed as using them. The Yankees' use of the bats just got more attention, both because they're the Yankees and the volume of homers they hit.
The difference between the torpedo bat and traditional bats is the sweet spot tends to be closer to the handle, instead of near the top. This allows hitters to get more impact and velocity on pitches thrown inside.
Aaron Leanhardt, who is credited with inventing the new bat and used to work as an analyst for the Yankees before being hired as field coordinator for the Miami Marlins after last season, told MLB.com's Christina De Nicola on Monday any success with the lumber still depends on the player hitting the ball:
"I'm used to being the one walking behind all this, and someone else is standing here. It's definitely been surreal for the last couple days. At the end of the day, it's about the batter, not the bat. It's about the hitters and their hitting coaches, not the hitting implements. So I'm happy to always help those guys get a little bit better, but ultimately, it's up to them to put good swings on pitches and grind it out every day. So, credit to those guys."
The new bat, which is legal under MLB rules, is probably just the latest step in the evolution of the sport to counteract all of the changes in pitching in recent years that have made hitting more difficult than ever.
Until there's a much larger sample size to really draw any conclusions about what the bat can do, it's best not to read too much into the Yankees' three-game sample size.
If the Yankees remain on an 810-homer pace after their next 15-20 games, then it might be time to start thinking about how much the bats are helping them hit the ball over the fence.
