Top five players thriving using torpedo bats, including two New York Yankees
Torpedo bats were all the rage earlier this season after the New York Yankees hit 15 home runs in their first three games — tying an MLB record. They differ from traditional bats as the torpedo barrel sits closer to the hitter's hands. Using data from SportsCasting.com, here are the top five players who have boosted their production this season using torpedo bats.
Cal Raleigh
Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is having an MVP-caliber season, leading the American League with 19 home runs. Raleigh only uses the torpedo bat when hitting left-handed, not from the right side. His barrel rate has jumped 41.5% this season compared to 2024 — rising from 15.4% last year to 21.8% in 2025.
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'When hitting as a lefty, he has a .930 OPS in 2025 and nearly 8.7% of his at-bats have resulted in home runs,' notes SportsCasting.com. 'Compare that to last season, when only 5.3% of hit at-bats resulted in homers from the left side of the plate even though his average at the dish is identical (.235) in those situations. While that might not seem like a notable number, it represents a 64% increase and has him on pace to hit 48 home runs in 2025.'
Daniel Schneemann
Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
After struggling with a .218 average during his rookie season, Cleveland Guardians utility player Daniel Schneemann has improved drastically this year using the torpedo bat. He's already surpassed his home run total from last year (seven to five) and currently has an .802 OPS and 126 OPS+.
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'Schneeman's power surge leads all torpedo bat users, as he's increased his HR/AB by an impressive 136% while improving his slugging percentage by 35.9% and his OPS by 25%,' reports SportsCasting.com.
Anthony Volpe
Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe contributed to the early home run barrage, hitting four in the first five games of the season. He's only homered twice since then but is already halfway to the 12 he hit last year.
'Volpe actually ranks second with an 87.35% increase in home runs per at bat this year,' states SportsCasting.com. 'While his average is slightly down (.235 compared to .243), Volpe's slugging percentage is up by 16.5% (.424 compared to .364) and his OPS is nearly 100 points higher (.745 compared to .657 in 2024).'
Dansby Swanson
Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
After posting a below-average 98 OPS+ in 2024, Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson has raised his OPS+ to 113 this season and already has 11 home runs after hitting 16 all of last year.
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'After hitting .242 with 16 home runs in 149 games (534 AB) last year, Swanson has improved his numbers across the board, raising his batting average, slugging percentage, and OPS by significant margins,' writes SportsCasting.com.
Paul Goldschmidt
Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt has discovered the fountain of youth this season using the torpedo bat. After a down year in his final season with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2024, the 37-year-old is hitting .347 with an .899 OPS and 155 OPS+.
'Goldschmidt has rekindled his swing at the plate with the torpedo bat, turning himself back into a .300 hitter,' notes SportsCasting.com.
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