None of us saw this coming—a weirdly shaped bat topping the headlines, even beyond the baseball world. Yeah, a “torpedo” bat, to be precise. Don’t confuse it for a gimmick. Hitters have been going insane about these bowling-pin-looking bats. It all started in the opening weekend of the MLB season when the New York Yankees smashed 15 home runs in just three games against the Milwaukee Brewers. And all nine of them were hit by none other than torpedo bats. While all the players, fans, and analysts are buzzing around it, a legendary voice is here to share his eye-opening prediction that might just shift your perspective about the torpedo bat.

The 82-year-old Chicago Cubs’ legend Fergie Jenkins isn’t just watching torpedo bat drama from close but instead has a bold perspective on it. And it has raised eyebrows around the entire league. According to Jenkins, torpedo bats aren’t just a fleeting trend that will disappear in a month; it’s the beginning of a new era.

He reportedly predicted, “I can believe before the All-Star break [that] every ball club is going to have a half-dozen hitters using that torpedo bat.” Let’s take Yankees’ shortstop Anthony Volpe as an example. He’s not precisely an elite hitter, and after hitting with a torpedo bat, he started making headlines as a remarkable hitter. That’s not it; Jenkins took it to another level. As per him, every player using a torpedo bat could easily avail themselves of “20 points” on their batting average.

He stated, “Instead of them hitting .255, .260, it might be .280.” Isn’t that a kind of leap that can turn a mediocre hitter into an elite one? Undeniably yes. Not to mention, the batting average has plummeted in recent years. MLB teams stood at a .251 average in 2014, which is eight points higher than the previous season. In 2024, a mere total of 7 players concluded at a .300 average.

He also added, “A couple of extra-base hits, and now one hitter sees one of his teammates use it. Now, he wants to use it.” That’s how trends flow—like a domino effect. It’s simply that the hitters who are seeing results want a piece of the pie. As it turns out, it’s not just a bat; it’s baseball’s new era—the Torpedo Era. And it’s definitely not ending anytime soon.

Torpedo bats spark interest and skepticism among the Pirates

With each home run, the noise of baseball’s brand-new trend is just getting louder—the torpedo bat. When the New York Yankees made their way to PNC Park for the Pittsburgh Pirates home opener, they got their torpedo bats along with their A-game. As it turns out, the pirates were watching the torpedo bat drama closely, and they didn’t hesitate to share their take on it.

Pirates pitcher Colin Holderman laid out his take and stated, “You know, I was a hitter for a long time, and I know it’s really hard; it doesn’t matter what kind of bat you have in your hands, you still have to hit the ball.” Holderman’s stance is clear about the bat: keeping hitters from making clean contact despite any bat.

However, the curiosities around the torpedo bat didn’t slow down in the Pirates clubhouse. Outfielder Jack Suwinski revealed that he used the bat a little in the off-season. He stated, “It’s not really as extreme as you’ve seen on TV, so not that much,”. Ultimately, torpedo bat might not be that extreme, but it was enough to stir interest.

Adding to that, infielder Jared Triolo, who has already ordered his torpedo bat(s), stated, “You try a whole bunch of different bat companies and bat models. You might as well try that one.” Triolo is still waiting for his bats to arrive. We’ll soon know how he feels about it. Until then, he decided to not make any strong comments on it.

Holderman later simply added, “You adapt or die in this league, so I get what they’re trying to do. I’m going to make my adjustments accordingly.” Fair enough. He understands how the league works, and he will strategize his game accordingly. And as per MLB rule 3.02, the torpedo bats stay legal. As a result, the experimentation will go on. If nothing else, it’ll be interesting to simply watch the evolution of this bat.