Some of the Bronx Bombers are using this altered bat design, courtesy of Aaron Leanhardt, a former University of Michigan physicist. Leanhardt spoke about the hottest new trend in baseball, and one of his former U of M colleagues spoke to TV5’s Chet Davis about the science behind it.

A common sentiment from players about torpedo bats is that hitting is about the player. If you can’t hit a 97 mph fastball or nasty slider with a normal bat, a torpedo bat isn’t going to help.

Victus Sports CEO Jared Smith, whose company produces the official bats for Major League Baseball, estimated that about 25 percent of MLB players have contacted them or parent company Marucci to test the new bats, according to Caleb Mezzy of The Athletic.