Following a series sweep at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon, the Washington Nationals are searching for answers offensively. The team looked absolutely abysmal at the plate all series up in Canada, with basically the entire lineup outside of CJ Abrams and Keibert Ruiz looking lost.
While the Nationals continue to sputter at the plate, teams like the New York Yankees are staying ahead of the game. In case you have not yet heard of the 'torpedo bat' craze that is beginning to make its way into clubhouses across the league, this excerpt from a recent ESPN article should help explain: "The idea of the torpedo bat is to take a size format -- say, 34 inches and 32 ounces -- and distribute the wood in a different geometric shape than the traditional form to ensure the fattest part of the bat is located where the player makes the most contact. Standard bats taper toward an end cap that is as thick diametrically as the sweet spot of the barrel. The torpedo bat moves some of the mass on the end of the bat about 6 to 7 inches lower, giving it a bowling-pin shape, with a much thinner end."
The Yankees have been the main beneficiary of these new bats so far, as they were seemingly hitting everything out of the park in their Opening Weekend series at home against the Milwaukee Brewers, and perhaps the Nationals could learn a thing or two from them. For an organization in Washington that has been slow to come around to modern baseball trends, getting their hands on these new bats while the sport is still slower to adjust to them makes a ton of sense.
Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo actually clarified his stance on the newest innovation in baseball, as he told "The Sports Junkies" on 106.7 The Fan that, "We need to order a few. I think we're going to." in response to being asked about the torpedo bats. Even if the bats get banned or don't necessarily work for every player, it would be nice for the team to actually be on pace with the rest of the league for once when it comes to a new trend.
Davey Martinez, the Nationals manager, mentioned yesterday that the team's hitters seem to be misfiring on their timing, and talked about how late they seem to be at the plate right now. This was my biggest takeaway in watching Dylan Crews so far, who is one of the only remaining everyday players that has not yet registered a hit in the 2025 season. To his credit, he hit the ball very hard and put it in play 3 times on Wednesday, but was robbed by some great defensive plays by the left side of the infield. Perhaps a torpedo bat could help guys like him and Luis Garcia Jr., who is still trying to prove that he is more than just a platoon option.
I hope that the team gets their hands on some of these bats soon, as there is no reason not to try to take advantage of this legal loophole that is benefitting other clubs and hitters across the sport. While it might not solve every issue the team has at the plate, there is no harm in trying.
Do you think torpedo bats will help the Nationals offense? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.