The Toronto Blue Jays have started this year’s MLB season in fine form, but another enterprise has been the biggest Canadian winner in baseball thus far.
Driving the news: A little more than a week into the MLB season, the talk of the league has been the torpedo bat — a bat designed by a former MIT physicist turned baseball coach that has more wood on the lower end of the barrel, making it look like a torpedo (or bowling pin).
- The bat’s design has more surface area on the part of the bat that’s ideal to hit the ball with, while also making it easier to swing.
Does it work? Early results are promising. The bats made noise (figuratively and literally) on opening weekend when five New York Yankees used them to hit a combined nine home runs over a three-game span. More torpedo-charged homers have happened since.
Why it matters: These trendsetting bats have a Canadian tie. One of the four companies currently manufacturing them is Québec’s B45 Baseball, and the company has been flooded with requests from both pro and amateur players in Canada, the U.S., Japan, and Taiwan.
What’s next: Only around 16 players (including one Blue Jay) are using the bat, but that number could soon jump, which could mean more orders for B45. That said, baseballers are famously fickle, and many might not want to switch. Plus, some analysts predict that the stuffy suits heading up MLB could eventually change the rules to outlaw the bats.—QH