Brewers Manager on Yankees Torpedo Bats: ‘It’s Not Like it’s Some Magical Wood’

The Milwaukee Brewers were destroyed by the New York Yankees in a three-game series, but their manager isn’t complaining about bats.

Mar 14, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy against the San Francisco Giants during a spring training game at American Family Fields of Phoenix. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The carnage left by the New York Yankees in their three-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers was hard to ignore.

With the Yankees’ 10-3 win over the Brewers on Sunday, New York scored 36 runs, a franchise record for the first three games of a season.

But it wasn’t just the runs that left an impression — it was the bats.

The Yankees set baseball ablaze over the weekend with the debut of their torpedo bats. Sluggers like Jazz Chisholm, Cody Bellinger and Anthony Vople were all using the bats in Saturday’s game, when the Yankees slammed a franchise record nine home runs.

The bats became the talk of baseball because, well, they don’t look like the bats Major Leaguers normally use. Aaron Leanhardt, a former Yankees analyst who now works for the Miami Marlins, is credited with helping New York take advantage of the innovation.

With these bats, the significant change is that the barrel rests in a non-traditional location, closer to the hitter’s hands. The bats are legal and Major League Baseball approved their use. It hasn’t kept fans from complaining about, nor did it keep some Brewers players from complaining about them, most notably pitcher Trevor Megill.

He told reporters that he felt the bats were like something out of “slow-pitch softball.”

But, most Brewers players and coaches didn’t seem to mind. It could be because most teams are already aware of them. Baltimore Orioles hitting coach Cody Asche said he has a couple of batters that are “dabbling” with them.

Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy, who had to watch his team get blown out all three games, seemed to have no issue with the bats. In fact, he minimized the impact of those bats.

“It’s not like some magical wood or anything else,” Murphy said to reporters, including those from The Athletic, on Sunday. “It’s just built with the weight in a different spot. It’s proving to be effective for the Yankees this weekend. They’re really good hitters, and if pitchers want to get annoyed, then the hitters win. Just make good pitches. When you throw the ball down the middle, you’re going to get it whacked. That’s what happens.”

To make his point, the Yankees best hitter was Aaron Judge, who isn’t using the bats. He was asked if he would start using them and he said no. The two-time American League MVP exited the three games series slashing .545/.643/2.461 with four home runs and 11 RBI. So maybe he doesn’t need the torpedo bats.

Murphy put it more succinctly.

“My old ass will tell you this, for sure, it ain’t the wand; it’s the magician,” he said.

At least one of his players, Rhys Hoskins, has already put in an order for the bats. If you can’t beat them, join them.