Jared Smith speaks about the torpedo bat during an interview at Victus Sports in King of Prussia on Wed Apr 2, 2025 (AP News photo)
Torpedo Bats the talk of Baseball —The Bats at Cooperstown
That’s Amaury News and Commentary
By Amaury Pi-González
BREAKING NEWS. Torpedo bats are here and have not been affected by the recent tariffs. The “torpedo” bats, with their unique shape resembling a bowling pin, are manufactured by several companies, including Victus, Marucci, Chandler Bats, and are legal under MLB rules. Yankee Jazz Chisolm, who averaged 12 home runs per season during his six-year career in the majors, hit three home runs in the opening three-game series of 2025 against Milwaukee. Chisolm used the torpedo bats and said, “It doesn’t feel like a different bat. It just helps you in a little way”.
Could the Torpedo Bats be the star of the show in 2025? The MLB players’ union expects a lockout by team owners after the CBA expires following the 2026 season. It is not like the production of home runs is decreasing; home runs have increased in recent seasons, especially since 2016, with a surge in 2019. This is not only because of the bats, but we have to consider that hitters are more sophisticated in their approaches, and even this increase could be partly due to changes in the baseball.
I know you are saying it is too early to talk about the possible Lockout after the 2026 season since the 2025 season just got underway, and that could be true. But we might have a record number of home runs with these bats for this 2025 season. The MLB season with the most combined home runs across all 30 teams was 2019, with a total of 6,776 home runs. Do we accredit the Torpedo Bats if this 2025 season ends with 6,777 home runs or 7,000? Time will tell, and we could play Detective Colombo if we discover evidence that these bats are more powerful, making a difference.
These are some of the most famous bats in history. They are at The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, NY.
-Babe Ruth’s Louisville Slugger. This is an iconic bat
-Honus Wagner’s JF. Hillerich & Son Co, bat. Used by Honus Wagner in the early 20th century.
-Reggie Jackson’s Adirondack Big Stick. This made the Adirondack Company a world brand for bats.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY, has a significant collection of baseball bats, with over 2,000 bats representing various eras and players, and there are great moments of legendary hitters who used these bats. This national museum keeps adding baseball memorabilia; there was also an exhibit called Viva Baseball!, which recognizes the contributions of Latino baseball players. From the great Pirates #21 Roberto Clemente to other legendary Latino players from Cuba, Puerto Rico, México, Venezuela, Colombia, Dominican Republic, and other countries.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, is a must for every baseball fan. I have visited, and I strongly recommend you take a trip to beautiful upstate New York. On my trip to New York, I took the train from Grand Central Station, Manhattan, to Albany, where I rented a car and then drove to Cooperstown. It is a beautiful countryside drive of about 70 miles. There were also two Amtrak trains from NY to Cooperstown every day, as well as two trips on the weekend. Visiting always brings me back memories, like knowing that my mentor, Rafael “Felo” Ramírez, who when I was 10 year old kid used to listen to him on the radio in Cuba’s Professional Winter League, and was fortunate of working with him, broadcasting postseason games in 1998 for the Spanish US and Latino American, networks. Felo is in Cooperstown as Ford C.Frick Broadcaster.
The museum in Cooperstown is open 7 days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 pm, and extended hours during the summer. Admissions are $30 for adults, seniors 65 and over, $24 for juniors (ages 7-12) $21, and free for active or (like yours truly) retired card-carrying military personnel. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
Trivia: The first professional baseball bat, a Louisville Slugger, was created by J.F. Hillerich in the 1880s, specifically for Pete Browning, a ballplayer nicknamed “The Louisville Slugger”.
Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame
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