Fans split over 'torpedo bats'

   Baseball fans everywhere have been talking about the new bats the New York Yankees made famous over their opening series against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Yankees swept the series and scored 36 runs with a massive 15 home in three games. 

Fans have not only been concerned about the validity of the torpedo bats but also the potential to cause injury as the weight in the bat is distributed differently.

  Giancarlo Stanton, who uses and has defended torpedo bats is currently injured with elbow tendinitis and some have speculated that the new bats are responsible for the injury.

Stanton was introduced to the bats last year and many wonder if prolonged use of the oddly distributed bats may have long-term effects.  Giancarlo and The Yankees deny this claim and he still plans on using the torpedo bat when he returns.

  Although the bats weight is the same the shape is what sets these bats apart.  Torpedo bats have a thicker barrel and thin out near the top of the bat.

  The idea came from MIT physicist Aaron Leanhardt  who was previously a hitting analyst for the Yankees before joining the Miami Marlins as a field coordinator. 

  The Yankees studied shortstop Anthony Volpe's swing data and found that he was mostly making contact near the label of the bat and the bats were created to help him make contact more often but since then they have been adopted by teams around the league. So far, the Phillies, Rays, Pirates, Cubs, Twins, Mets and Reds all have players using them and there have been reports of them hitting the Mariners soon. It is expected for the bats to be seen more and more around the league in the near future.

  Many fans have been outraged but the introduction of Torpedo Bats, stating that it feels like a "cheap way out" for players to make more contact without training themselves to hit further up the bat. Many of the recent changes in the MLB are being made to speed up the pace of the game and create a more entertaining and engaging experience for fans and although these bats were implemented by the Yankees, it holds true to that agenda so they are most likely here to stay.