Elly De La Cruz's use of 'torpedo' bat will give Reds' next opponent nightmares

The Milwaukee Brewers may be more scared of Elly De La Cruz than ever before. The Cincinnati Reds superstar shortstop tested the legendary 'torpedo' bat on Monday night and it couldn't have gone better. The outcome? Four hits, two homers, seven RBI and five hard hit balls (95+ MPH EV). He hit a 436-foot home run during his seventh inning attempt to hit for the cycle.

One outrageous game isn't out of the ordinary for De La Cruz, but the timing is impeccable. The baseball world is in shambles after learning of the "new" torpedo bat through the New York Yankees 20-run outburst last Saturday. Out of the record setting nine homeruns hit by Yankees, four were with the torpedo bat. Notably, superstar Aaron Judge hit three (almost four) homers on Saturday, but didn't use the bat.

The torpedo bat was popularized last weekend, but has been carefully crafted since 2023. Multiple players used it last season, including Jose Trevino, but it never gained traction. The idea was to move the barrel a couple inches toward the handle, to increase the likelihood of the ball connecting with it. Presumably hundreds of hours of study determined many players don't hit the ball on the fattest part of the bat, the end.

Elly De La Cruz's use of 'torpedo' bat will give Reds' next opponent (the Brewers) nightmares

The Reds' shortstop tried it for the first time Monday with great success. "I just wanted to know if it feels good — and it definitely does." De La Cruz said postgame. The recent home run outbursts and media attention spotlights the use of the bat, but Reds' Manager Terry Francona thinks differently: "I think it's more the player than the bat," Francona said.

Obviously, he's right. The bat is under intense scrutiny due to recency bias, but the player has to deliver a perfect swing for the barrel to affect anything. The Brewers saw this first hand last weekend, after getting aggressively swept by the Yankees. The Brew Crew was outscored 36-14 and has started 1-4. The seasons-start would be less concerning if their run differential wasn't -27.

Ironically, the Reds' are gearing up for a four-game weekend set in Milwaukee, and it's perfect timing. Fresh off the overwhelming torpedo talk, the Brewers will have to saddle up against De La Cruz's edition of the bat, and hopefully, similar production. Nestor Cortes is set to face Nick Lodolo on Thursday. Cortes allowed eight runs over two innings against the Yanks in the inaugural torpedo bat game on Saturday.

The bat certainly isn't the main reason for a sudden surplus of homers, but it clearly isn't hurting. While baseball trends like the oven mitt and home run celebrations may come and go, its clear the torpedo bats are here to stay.

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