When Aaron Leanhardt was a graduate student in physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he was part of a research team that cooled sodium gas to the lowest temperature ever recorded in human history.
What his colleagues didn’t realize was that in the rare moments when Leanhardt wasn’t toiling away at the lab, he was moonlighting as a speedy shortstop in a local amateur baseball league. Leanhardt was good enough to play in a 2001 All-Star Game at a minor-league stadium in Lowell. He hit .464 that season.
“We didn’t even know about that,” said David Pritchard, a professor emeritus at MIT.
More than two decades later, the baseball world suddenly knows all about the 48-year-old Leanhardt. He’s the inventor of the so-called “torpedo bat,” perhaps the most significant development in bat technology in decades.
Leanhardt’s creation exploded into the mainstream this weekend, when the New York Yankees tied a major-league record by bashing 15 home runs in the first three games of their season. Nine of the homers came from players who have adopted the torpedo bat, including three from infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Now, players across the league are desperately scrambling to get their hands on Leanhardt’s creation.
The “Torpedo” bat.
What is it? Why are guys using them? Are they really that good? Is it just a bigger bat? Is this actually a new thing?
DISCLAIMER: I’m not a scientist, I’m a college drop out. Remember to verify with smart people. pic.twitter.com/RFrfxPuL31
— Kevin Smith (@KJS_4) March 31, 2025
You can view MLBs “looking at the use of ‘torpedo’ bats” HERE
None of this seemed likely when Leanhardt was earning his doctorate and spending seven years teaching at the University of Michigan. But he would leave academia to pursue a higher calling: the solution to a complex, century-old physics problem with significant real-world applications. He wanted to know how to effectively hit a round ball with a wooden bat.
“This,” former Yankees minor-leaguer Kevin Smith said, “is probably the least impressive thing he’s done in his entire life.”
Disclaimer
The information contained in South Florida Reporter is for general information purposes only.
The South Florida Reporter assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents of the Service.
In no event shall the South Florida Reporter be liable for any special, direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tort, arising out of or in connection with the use of the Service or the contents of the Service. The Company reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modifications to the contents of the Service at any time without prior notice.
The Company does not warrant that the Service is free of viruses or other harmful components
