Orioles Superstar Slugger Joins Wildly Popular Torpedo Bat Trend

A Baltimore Orioles star slugger is getting in on the torpedo bat craze after some extensive testing.

Mar 28, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman (35) takes batting practice before a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

After finishing second last year, the Baltimore Orioles already knew they had their work cut out for them to keep up with the New York Yankees in the American League East.

But after the Yankees' offensive explosion in their first series of the 2025 regular season, New York now looks even tougher to stop.

The Bronx Bombers went viral for smashing 15 home runs against the Milwaukee Brewers, tying an MLB record for the first three games of a season. But it wasn’t because of the sheer number of long balls they were hitting; it was for the bats they were using to do it.

Several New York players are using torpedo-style bats, which contain more wood in the barrel and have an irregular shape. They may look funny, but they pack quite a punch, as the Yankees proved by slamming nine home runs on Saturday.

Not surprisingly, several Orioles have committed to using the new bat type, including All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman.

Adley Rutschman uses the new torpedo style bat, although he doesn't think his looks as thick in the barrel as some. He adopted it this season after trying three variations of his standard bat. The torpedo won out.

“Everything felt good and I liked it." https://t.co/yMhx1kGeSU

— Andy Kostka (@afkostka) March 30, 2025

The idea for using the new-look bats was introduced to the team by assistant general manager Sig Mejdal during spring training.

Rutschman uses a design that isn’t as pronounced around the label as other players after extensive testing.

His bat provider, Marucci, sent him three different variations of the bat to use over the offseason and see which one he liked best.

The torpedo-esque model is the one he settled one, citing his comfortability with it.

“I have to be able to barrel up the ball, but everything felt good and I liked it,” Rutschman told Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner. “I swung it during spring training and then I was swinging good during lives, and took it into games, and I was like, ‘OK, I’ll go with this.‘”

The 27-year-old slugger believes his bat isn’t as thick as some of the others in use, but it still matches the length and weight of his bats from last year.

Out of the gate, the switch certainly seems to be paying off.

Rutschman was part of Baltimore's historic Opening Day fireworks, hitting two of the team’s six home runs. He also has a .286/.348/.619 slash line through 23 plate appearances, looking more like himself after a disappointing second half in 2024.

The talented switch-hitter looks comfortable with the new bats and will likely continue to use them if he keeps hitting well. If he sticks with the torpedo bats, they could help him have the best season of his career.