Reds shortstop uses torpedo bat in win INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Major League Baseball’s “Torpedo” bat trend is spreading. Cincinnati Red Elly De La Cruz appears to be one of the first players outside the New York Yankees to use the unconventional new bat in a game – and he swung it ve ry well. De La Cruz had a single, a double, two home runs, and a career-high seven runs batted in, as the Reds throttled the Texas Rangers 14-3 on Monday. If you have not yet heard the buzz behind the bat, it gets the name “torpedo” for its shape: Unlike a traditional bat that gets wider toward the end of the barrel, the “torpedo” version bulges near the label and gradually gets smaller toward the end. (As several observers have pointed out, the bat more closely resembles a bowling pin than a torpedo, but the latter seems to have won out when people discuss the innovation.) Players say the theory is that relocating the mass will help players who tend to hit it closer to the handle. Aaron Leanhardt is a former physics professor now credited with the bat’s invention, not that he’s asking for the limelight. When asked, Leanhardt is quick to swat away the credit. “Guys have been asking me about it. Guys have been wanting to swing them,” he explained. “But at the end of the day it’s about the batter, not the bat. It’s about the hitter and their hitting coaches. I’m happy to always help those guys get a little bit better but ultimately it’s up to them to put good swings and grind it out every day. So, credit to those guys.” The New York Yankees hit a team-record nine homers in their Saturday game against Milwaukee. Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, Austin Wells, Anthony Volpe and Jazz Chisholm, Jr. all used torpedo bats to go deep. ...read more read less