In today’s world, virality can make or break just about anything. Be it a new song or a weird trend. One moment it is just an ordinary idea, and the next you see it everywhere. In baseball, the one thing that has gone viral is not a player or a real catch but a bat—the torpedo bat. It all started when the New York Yankees had crushed eight home runs in a single game. Then fans were not busy noticing their sheer power but were fixated on the bats in their hands. Oddly shaped and slightly thicker, they were built to optimize contact. And they became the talk of the town after!

Suddenly now everyone wants in on the secret— even some of the guys in the Los Angeles Dodgers clubhouse. But torpedo bats aren’t new. They were just another experimental tool in the baseball sphere. Well, until now! The bats are made to improve the speed, control, and power, and the Yankees gave everyone a demo of it. And since they made the bat seem like legitimate cheat codes, even 2X World Series champs want to give it a go.

Yes, Max Muncy is intrigued and has already placed an order for torpedo bats. And he isn’t alone; joining him is also Kike Hernandez. Muncy said about the New York Yankee’s power, “Those guys are just good. Maybe it helped them. If it did, I plan on finding out.” He sees them as just another step in the bat evolution. Like how hitters have moved from ash to maple and experimented with handles and tweaked the tools to optimize their play better.

But the Los Angeles Dodger star did admit, “I have no idea what I’m going to think about it. I might hate the way it feels. I might love the way it feels. We have all the technology to check the data on it—how the ball’s coming off the bat and everything. I don’t know if my swing is one that works for… That’s the thing with baseball. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution that works for everybody.” But while Muncy and Hernandez are all for this bat, their teammate Mookie Betts isn’t on the bandwagon just as of yet.

Betts remains skeptical about switching to the torpedo bat, emphasizing that his current approach has been working just fine. He isn’t dismissing the importance of the bat entirely, but he believes success ultimately comes down to the player, not just the equipment. In his view, if using a certain bat boosts a hitter’s confidence, that alone can make a difference in performance. Whether the torpedo bat actually enhances power or if it’s just a psychological edge remains to be seen.

But conscience or not, it’s not like Betts needs a bat to amp up his game. He already has two home runs and four RBIs at the start and is hitting .500. However, if Muncy starts launching bombs with the new bat, he might reconsider. The buzz isn’t just limited to the Dodgers’ clubhouse—it’s spreading fast, catching the attention of stars from other teams as well.

Even Reds player takes an interest in Yankees torpedo bats

When something is viral, everyone wants to take a shot at it. So enters Elly De La Cruz. He saw the New York Yankees blast home runs like never before and wanted to give the bat a shot. So he used the bat during practice. But why just practice when one can try it in the real game? So De La Cruz took the bat into the game, and the results were jaw-dropping.

He shot two home runs, a 436-foot bomb, and also seven RBIs, and they went 14-3 over the Texas Rangers. After the game, he said, “I just wanted to know if it feels good”—and it definitely does. It felt really good.” So could this be the next big thing in baseball? That is what everyone is probably wondering.

But not everyone is buying into the hype, at least not Reds manager Terry Francona. He didn’t want to discount the game De La Cruz did on just the bat. “I think it’s more the player than the bat. What I told him was the most impressive thing was the line drive to left field. You better make some pretty good pitches if he’s on balance like that.” And he isn’t wrong.

De La Cruz is already at a level so high, without the bat. Last season he managed 25 home runs and 67 stolen bases, without the bat. So no, the bat isn’t magic, but sure, the idea of a torpedo bat being a cheat code intrigues everyone. So, whether it’s the bat or the player or the combo of both, torpedo bats are the heroes now and seem to be here to stay. What do you think it’s a fad or a difference-maker? Let us know in the comments.