NHL Power Rankings: The fantasy MVP for all 32 teams
-
Sean Allen
-
Victoria Matiash
Close
Victoria Matiash
Fantasy Hockey
- ESPN.com Fantasy Contributor since 2010
- Part-time anchor at NEWSTALK1010
With another week in the books of the 2023-24 NHL season, it’s time for an updated set of Power Rankings. As another treat this week, we’ve brought back ESPN fantasy hockey analysts Sean Allen and Victoria Matiash, who have identified the current projected fantasy MVP of each team, and offered insights into whether that projection will hold.
The projections are determined by each player’s fantasy points per game and how many remaining games they are expected to play. For goaltenders, this includes an estimate based on their crease share to date. The projection has modifiers applied that account for recent performance as well as for strength of schedule of upcoming matchups. Note that Sean handled the Eastern teams, while Victoria tackled the West.
How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors each send in a 1-32 poll based on the games through Wednesday, which generates our master list here.
Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to the previous edition, published Dec. 1. Points percentages are through the games of Dec. 7. It’s not too late to sign up for ESPN Fantasy Hockey, create your team and play for free today.
Previous ranking: 1
Points percentage: 77.08%
Next seven days: @ WSH (Dec. 9), vs. LA (Dec. 10), vs. TOR (Dec. 12)
Jacob Trouba, D | Projected fantasy points: 227.19 | Projected overall rank: 13
While Trouba does admirable work with counting stats, we shouldn’t count out Artemi Panarin from taking the top Rangers spot for fantasy thanks to his shoot-first-ask-questions-later attitude this season. An Igor Shesterkin hot streak could also put him in the mix.
Previous ranking: 3
Points percentage: 72.22%
Next seven days: @ DAL (Dec. 9), vs. SJ (Dec. 10), vs. CGY (Dec. 12)
Adin Hill, G | Projected fantasy points: 225.09 | Projected overall rank: 14
Hill’s current injury — while reportedly not that serious — is a bother, as is the loss of defensemen Shea Theodore and Alec Martinez. Don’t be surprised if Jack Eichel, who has found his productive stride of late, takes over as the Knights’ leading fantasy star by season’s end.
Previous ranking: 4
Points percentage: 76.09%
Next seven days: @ NYI (Dec. 9), @ NYR (Dec. 10), vs. WPG (Dec. 13)
Cam Talbot, G | Projected fantasy points: 278.62 | Projected overall rank: 1
The 36-year-old hasn’t played more than 49 games since 2017-18. Wear and tear could come into play, and backup Pheonix Copley is settling in after a mediocre start. However, considering the Kings’ balanced scoring depth — a good thing altogether — Talbot is still likely to emerge as the club’s fantasy frontrunner.
Previous ranking: 2
Points percentage: 74.00%
Next seven days: vs. ARI (Dec. 9), @ NJ (Dec. 13)
David Pastrnak, RW | Projected fantasy points: 257.36 | Projected overall rank: 4
This one was sealed before the season began, as Pastrnak is in a league alone on the Bruins. The race for second is intriguing though, with Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman currently projected to finish 43rd and 44th overall.
Previous ranking: 5
Points percentage: 65.38%
Next seven days: vs. PHI (Dec. 9), vs. CGY (Dec. 11), vs. BUF (Dec. 13)
Cale Makar, D | Projected fantasy points: 278.08 | Projected overall rank: 2
Unless his existing lower-body injury is a bigger deal than believed — he returned Thursday night — Makar could conceivably finish top 3 in fantasy production by season’s end — even ahead of teammate Nathan MacKinnon. The Avs’ star defender is putting up Bobby Orr/Paul Coffey-like numbers.
Previous ranking: 7
Points percentage: 66.00%
Next seven days: vs. VGK (Dec. 9), vs. DET (Dec. 11)
Joe Pavelski, RW | Projected fantasy points: 211.24 | Projected overall rank: 29
Until Pavelski gives us real cause to believe he’s running out of gas, there’s no reason to believe he doesn’t have plenty left. The 39-year-old reigns as Dallas’ top fantasy royalty — with Jason Robertson serving as eventual heir — particularly with goaltender Jake Oettinger stumbling of late.
Previous ranking: 6
Points percentage: 64.81%
Next seven days: vs. CAR (Dec. 9), vs. TB (Dec. 12), vs. FLA (Dec. 14)
J.T. Miller, C | Projected fantasy points: 248.76 | Projected overall rank: 6
Miller’s goal pace has dropped recently, as has his power-play production. That suggests the door is open for Norris Trophy contender Quinn Hughes to overtake the red-hot forward in fantasy supremacy — if only by a smidge, and in leagues that don’t reward faceoff wins.
Previous ranking: 12
Points percentage: 64.00%
Next seven days: vs. OTT (Dec. 9), @ DAL (Dec. 11), @ STL (Dec. 12), vs. CAR (Dec. 14)
Moritz Seider, D | Projected fantasy points: 213.66 | Projected overall rank: 25
Seider is a safe bet to stay as the best of the Red Wings, but Alex DeBrincat is in position to challenge — especially if the Patrick Kane bump is still as valuable as it was when the pair played together in Chicago just two seasons ago.
Previous ranking: 8
Points percentage: 64.00%
Next seven days: vs. PIT (Dec. 8), @ CBJ (Dec. 10), @ SEA (Dec. 12), @ VAN (Dec. 14)
Sam Reinhart, RW | Projected fantasy points: 231.99 | Projected overall rank: 12
A surprising frontrunner for Florida, and his hot start may even be enough to insulate Reinhart’s lead when Matthew Tkachuk remembers he’s a superstar. Bonus: As linemates, Tkachuk emerging from hibernation will also help Reinhart’s totals.
Previous ranking: 11
Points percentage: 65.22%
Next seven days: vs. NSH (Dec. 9), @ NYI (Dec. 11), @ NYR (Dec. 12), vs. CBJ (Dec. 14)
Auston Matthews, C | Projected fantasy points: 248.13 | Projected overall rank: 7
William Nylander is hot on his heels, projected for 235.52 fantasy points. The Leafs better hope there is no correlation between fantasy stats and average annual value on contracts if Nylander surpasses Matthews.
Previous ranking: 10
Points percentage: 64.00%
Next seven days: @ ANA (Dec. 10), @ SJ (Dec. 12), @ LA (Dec. 13)
Connor Hellebuyck, G | Projected fantasy points: 215.07 | Projected overall rank: 22
Despite the recent lull, Kyle Connor is a prolific goal scorer. He’ll surpass 45 by season’s conclusion, amassing an impressive shot total in the process. Still, it’s tough for the winger to surpass Hellebuyck, even with competent backup Laurent Brossoit available to serve as an occasional substitute.
Previous ranking: 9
Points percentage: 55.77%
Next seven days: @ VAN (Dec. 9), @ OTT (Dec. 12), @ DET (Dec. 14)
Sebastian Aho, C | Projected fantasy points: 173.51 | Projected overall rank: 82
With Aho as top Cane projected to be only 82nd overall, the door is still open for anyone on the roster to challenge this fantasy crown. I’m probably not alone in wishing Andrei Svechnikov would rediscover his mojo soon enough to do so.
Previous ranking: 13
Points percentage: 51.79%
Next seven days: @ SEA (Dec. 9), @ VAN (Dec. 12), @ EDM (Dec. 14)
Nikita Kucherov, RW | Projected fantasy points: 274.59 | Projected overall rank: 3
It hasn’t been the fearsome threesome on offense for the Bolts this season, as Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos both lag well behind Kucherov’s production. If anyone can catch him, it would be Andrei Vasilevskiy finding his vintage form in goal.
Previous ranking: 15
Points percentage: 53.85%
Next seven days: @ TOR (Dec. 9), @ MTL (Dec. 10), vs. PHI (Dec. 12)
Filip Forsberg, LW | Projected fantasy points: 224.96 | Projected overall rank: 15
While no other Predator will catch Forsberg in the fantasy race when he’s healthy, defenseman Roman Josi can be counted on to give it a good go. Enhanced contributions from both have played a large part in Nashville’s recent climb up the standings.
Previous ranking: 17
Points percentage: 57.69%
Next seven days: @ COL (Dec. 9), @ NSH (Dec. 12), vs. WSH (Dec. 14)
Travis Sanheim, D | Projected fantasy points: 163.8 | Projected overall rank: 105
Interestingly, Nick Seeler is projected to finish less than a fantasy point behind Sanheim, so it’s arguably a toss-up at this stage. That said, one Travis Konecny hot streak could quickly re-write this pecking order.
Previous ranking: 19
Points percentage: 56.00%
Next seven days: @ BOS (Dec. 9), @ BUF (Dec. 11), @ PIT (Dec. 12)
Connor Ingram, G | Projected fantasy points: 223.63 | Projected overall rank: 16
Count us as believers in Ingram. He’s been too solid all season, for a visibly improved team, to discount as the real deal. Unless the Coyotes’ No. 1 stumbles, or gets hurt, there’s no other member of André Tourigny’s balanced squad to catch him. Not even the impressive Clayton Keller.
Previous ranking: 18
Points percentage: 56.25%
Next seven days: @ CGY (Dec. 9), @ EDM (Dec. 10), vs. BOS (Dec. 13)
Jack Hughes, C | Projected fantasy points: 242.9 | Projected overall rank: 9
Hughes’ full arrival as a superstar is on display this campaign and there isn’t any suspense over him leading the Devils for fantasy. What will be interesting to watch is just how high into the top 10 overall he can push by the end of the season.
Previous ranking: 14
Points percentage: 58.70%
Next seven days: vs. NYR (Dec. 9), @ CHI (Dec. 10), @ PHI (Dec. 14)
John Carlson, D | Projected fantasy points: 182.21 | Projected overall rank: 65
It’s telling of how “meh” the Capitals are that Carlson is easily leading the pace at a rate that would finish 65th overall. It’s unlikely anything will change to make Alex Ovechkin challenge him, but Max Pacioretty returning to the ice could be an X factor.
Previous ranking: 22
Points percentage: 58.00%
Next seven days: vs. LA (Dec. 9), vs. TOR (Dec. 11), vs. ANA (Dec. 13)
Noah Dobson, D | Projected fantasy points: 244.73 | Projected overall rank: 8
Dobson adding physicality to his game in the form of blocks and hits makes him deserving of the fantasy crown for the Isles. It doesn’t look like Ilya Sorokin, his only real competition, will be making a push.
Previous ranking: 20
Points percentage: 50.00%
Next seven days: @ FLA (Dec. 8), vs. ARI (Dec. 12), @ MTL (Dec. 13)
Tristan Jarry, G | Projected fantasy points: 202.78 | Projected overall rank: 37
Jarry is great, but this season won’t be a success for the Penguins if he leads the team in fantasy scoring. Sidney Crosby is right behind him (198.79), but Erik Karlsson is way back at 157.67 projected points. The Pens need Karlsson in the mix.
Previous ranking: 16
Points percentage: 54.00%
Next seven days: @ CBJ (Dec. 8), @ CHI (Dec. 9), vs. DET (Dec. 12), vs. OTT (Dec. 14)
Justin Faulk, D | Projected fantasy points: 161.32 | Projected overall rank: 111
Any one of Faulk, Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich, Brayden Schenn, or Colton Parayko could finish atop the Blues’ fantasy podium. That speaks loudly to St. Louis’ lack of star power and mediocre record. In fact, rookie Jake Neighbours is the team’s most exciting player this December.
Previous ranking: 24
Points percentage: 45.65%
Next seven days: vs. MIN (Dec. 8), vs. NJ (Dec. 10), vs. CHI (Dec. 12), vs. TB (Dec. 14)
Connor McDavid, C | Projected fantasy points: 249.36 | Projected overall rank: 5
Without much question, a healthy McDavid will next-level himself into fantasy supremacy on his own team. But let’s spare an appreciative moment for the club’s other members of the league’s projected top 25 fantasy players: Zach Hyman, Evander Kane and Leon Draisaitl, while providing a stick tap to defenseman Evan Bouchard who is close.
Previous ranking: 23
Points percentage: 48.08%
Next seven days: vs. NJ (Dec. 9), @ COL (Dec. 11), @ VGK (Dec. 12), @ MIN (Dec. 14)
MacKenzie Weegar, D | Projected fantasy points: 204.19 | Projected overall rank: 35
The Flames aren’t scoring much. Which essentially cements Weegar — who contributes nicely across the fantasy board — as the team’s leader by a prairie mile. And probably drives coach Ryan Huska bananas.
Previous ranking: 30
Points percentage: 45.83%
Next seven days: @ EDM (Dec. 8), @ SEA (Dec. 10), vs. CGY (Dec. 14)
Joel Eriksson Ek, C | Projected fantasy points: 204.38 | Projected overall rank: 34
A sustained upswing in scoring by Kirill Kaprizov — on a team that finally appears headed in the right direction — could topple Eriksson Ek from Minny’s fantasy throne. But take nothing away from everything the big center does, including the fantasy-friendly physical stuff, that makes his club better all around.
Previous ranking: 27
Points percentage: 47.62%
Next seven days: @ DET (Dec. 9), vs. CAR (Dec. 12), @ STL (Dec. 14)
Brady Tkachuk, LW | Projected fantasy points: 205.2 | Projected overall rank: 33
It’s going to come down to Tkachuk or Tim Stutzle leading the Sens in fantasy points. They have been playing on separate lines lately and finished last season only eight points apart, so this is an intriguing race.
Previous ranking: 25
Points percentage: 48.08%
Next seven days: @ BUF (Dec. 9), vs. NSH (Dec. 10), vs. PIT (Dec. 13)
Mike Matheson, D | Projected fantasy points: 201.27 | Projected overall rank: 39
The Canadiens probably wish it was Cole Caufield claiming the top spot for fantasy, but Matheson’s strong even-strength and power-play work have him well out in front. In fact, his closest competition on the club is sophomore blueliner Kaiden Guhle.
Previous ranking: 21
Points percentage: 44.44%
Next seven days: vs. MTL (Dec. 9), vs. ARI (Dec. 11), @ COL (Dec. 13)
Rasmus Dahlin, D | Projected fantasy points: 212.66 | Projected overall rank: 27
The Sabres are hoping that with Tage Thompson returning from injury this week he can have some of his signature big games to close the gap with Dahlin. If anyone can, it’s the forward that had four hat tricks last season.
Previous ranking: 26
Points percentage: 40.74%
Next seven days: vs. TB (Dec. 9), vs. MIN (Dec. 10), vs. FLA (Dec. 12), vs. CHI (Dec. 14)
Eeli Tolvanen, LW | Projected fantasy points: 172.94 | Projected overall rank: 85
Good for Eeli Tolvanen, who’s off to his best season yet. But surely the Kraken would rather another skater lead the fantasy charge, and with greater gusto. Maybe last season’s star, Jared McCann, who seems back in a scoring groove?
Previous ranking: 29
Points percentage: 37.50%
Next seven days: vs. STL (Dec. 8), vs. FLA (Dec. 10), @ TOR (Dec. 14)
Boone Jenner, C | Projected fantasy points: 191.75 | Projected overall rank: 48
When the team that has Johnny Gaudreau, Patrik Laine and Adam Fantilli has Jenner easily leading the way for fantasy scoring, you know something isn’t going as hoped. Surprisingly, Ivan Provorov is the next best Blue Jacket for fantasy this season.
Previous ranking: 28
Points percentage: 38.46%
Next seven days: vs. WPG (Dec. 10), @ NYI (Dec. 13)
Frank Vatrano, RW | Projected fantasy points: 216.2 | Projected overall rank: 20
While his scoring is drying up some, Vatrano’s proclivity for shooting on net and blocking shots should still carry him through as the Ducks’ No. 1 fantasy star. How close rookie Leo Carlsson would’ve come, if he played a full first season, is the more pressing question.
Previous ranking: 32
Points percentage: 33.33%
Next seven days: @ VGK (Dec. 10), vs. WPG (Dec. 12)
Mario Ferraro, D | Projected fantasy points: 165.08 | Projected overall rank: 100
Following a lackluster first stretch, Tomas Hertl is ramping up his fantasy swagger. That trend should suffice in surpassing Ferraro, and all others, on a team lacking prominent assets. Getting a healthy Logan Couture back — eventually — will also help Hertl in that regard.
Previous ranking: 31
Points percentage: 34.00%
Next seven days: vs. STL (Dec. 9), vs. WSH (Dec. 10), @ EDM (Dec. 12), @ SEA (Dec. 14)
Connor Bedard, C | Projected fantasy points: 150.64 | Projected overall rank: 139
Defender Seth Jones has the long-game fantasy edge on a team where the star forward isn’t yet surrounded by a strong enough supporting cast. No doubt, injuries and other organizational moves haven’t helped.
The opening weekend of the 2025 MLB season was taken over by a surprise star — torpedo bats.
The bowling pin-shaped bats became the talk of the sport after the Yankees’ home run onslaught on the first Saturday of the season put it in the spotlight and the buzz hasn’t slowed since.
What exactly is a torpedo bat? How does it help hitters? And how is it legal? Let’s dig in.
Read: An MIT-educated professor, the Yankees and the bat that could be changing baseball
What is a torpedo bat and why is it different from a traditional MLB bat?
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.
How does it help hitters?
The benefits for those who like swinging with it — and not everyone who has swung it likes it — are two-fold. Both are rooted in logic and physics. The first is that distributing more mass to the area of most frequent contact aligns with players’ swing patterns and provides greater impact when bat strikes ball. Players are perpetually seeking ways to barrel more balls, and while swings that connect on the end of the bat and toward the handle probably will have worse performance than with a traditional bat, that’s a tradeoff they’re willing to make for the additional slug. And as hitters know, slug is what pays.
The second benefit, in theory, is increased bat speed. Imagine a sledgehammer and a broomstick that both weigh 32 ounces. The sledgehammer’s weight is almost all at the end, whereas the broomstick’s is distributed evenly. Which is easier to swing fast? The broomstick, of course, because shape of the sledgehammer takes more strength and effort to move. By shedding some of the weight off the end of the torpedo bat and moving it toward the middle, hitters have found it swings very similarly to a traditional model but with slightly faster bat velocity.
Why did it become such a big story so early in the 2025 MLB season?
Because the New York Yankees hit nine home runs in a game Saturday and Michael Kay, their play-by-play announcer, pointed out that some of them came from hitters using a new bat shape. The fascination was immediate. While baseball, as an industry, has implemented forward-thinking rules in recent seasons, the modification to something so fundamental and known as the shape of a bat registered as bizarre. The initial response from many who saw it: How is this legal?
OK. How is this legal?
Major League Baseball’s bat regulations are relatively permissive. Currently, the rules allow for a maximum barrel diameter of 2.61 inches, a maximum length of 42 inches and a smooth and round shape. The lack of restrictions allows MLB’s authorized bat manufacturers to toy with bat geometry and for the results to still fall within the regulations.
Who came up with the idea of using them?
The notion of a bowling-pin-style bat has kicked around baseball for years. Some bat manufacturers made smaller versions as training tools. But the version that’s now infiltrating baseball goes back two years when a then-Yankees coach named Aaron Leanhardt started asking hitters how they should counteract the giant leaps in recent years made by pitchers.
When Yankees players responded that bigger barrels would help, Leanhardt — an MIT-educated former Michigan physics professor who left academia to work in the sports industry — recognized that as long as bats stayed within MLB parameters, he could change their geometry to make them a reality. Leanhardt, who left the Yankees to serve as major league field coordinator for the Miami Marlins over the winter, worked with bat manufacturers throughout the 2023 and 2024 seasons to make that a reality.
When did it first appear in MLB games?
It’s unclear specifically when. But Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton used a torpedo bat last year and went on a home run-hitting rampage in October that helped send the Yankees to the World Series. New York Mets star Francisco Lindor also used a torpedo-style bat last year and went on to finish second in National League MVP voting.
Who are some of the other notable early users of torpedo bats?
In addition to Stanton and Lindor, Yankees hitters Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt have used torpedoes to great success. Others who have used them in games include Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero, Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers and Toronto’s Davis Schneider. And that’s just the beginning. Hundreds more players are expected to test out torpedoes — and perhaps use them in games — in the coming weeks.
How is this different from a corked bat?
Corking bats involves drilling a hole at the end of the bat, filling it in and capping it. The use of altered bats allows players to swing faster because the material with which they replace the wood — whether it’s cork, superballs or another material — is lighter. Any sort of bat adulteration is illegal and, if found, results in suspension.
Could a rule be changed to ban them?
Could it happen? Sure. Leagues and governing bodies have put restrictions on equipment they believe fundamentally altered fairness. Stick curvature is limited in hockey. Full-body swimsuits made of polyurethane and neoprene are banned by World Aquatics. But officials at MLB have acknowledged that the game’s pendulum has swung significantly toward pitching in recent years, and if an offensive revolution comes about because of torpedo bats — and that is far from a guarantee — it could bring about more balance to the game. If that pendulum swings too far, MLB could alter its bat regulations, something it has done multiple times already this century.
So the torpedo bat is here to stay?
Absolutely. Bat manufacturers are cranking them out and shipping them to interested players with great urgency. Just how widely the torpedo bat is adopted is the question that will play out over the rest of the season. But it has piqued the curiosity of nearly every hitter in the big leagues, and just as pitchers toy with new pitches to see if they can marginally improve themselves, hitters will do the same with bats.
Comfort is paramount with a bat, so hitters will test them during batting practice and in cage sessions before unleashing them during the game. As time goes on, players will find specific shapes that are most comfortable to them and best suit their swing during bat-fitting sessions — similar to how golfers seek custom clubs. But make no mistake: This is an almost-overnight alteration of the game, and “traditional or torpedo” is a question every big leaguer going forward will ask himself.
Sports
‘It’s taken on a life of its own’: Inside the 48 hours torpedo bats launched into baseball lore
At 1:54 ET on Saturday afternoon, New York Yankees play-by-play man Michael Kay lit the fuse on what will be remembered as either one of the most metamorphic conversations in baseball history or one of its strangest.
During spring training, someone in the organization had mentioned to Kay that the team’s analytics department had counseled players on where pitches tended to strike their bats, and with subsequent buy-in from some of the players, bats had been designed around that information. In the hours before the Yankees’ home game against the Brewers that day, Kay told the YES Network production staff about this, alerting them so they could look for an opportunity to highlight the equipment.
After the Yankees clubbed four homers in the first inning, a camera zoomed in on Jazz Chisholm Jr.‘s bat in the second inning. “You see the shape of Chisholm’s bat…” Kay said on air. “It’s got a big barrel on it,” Paul O’Neill responded, before Kay went on to describe the analysis behind the bat shaped like a torpedo.
Chisholm singled to left field, and after Anthony Volpe worked the count against former teammate Nestor Cortes to a full count, Volpe belted a home run to right field using the same kind of bat. A reporter watching the game texted Kay: Didn’t he hit the meat part of the bat you were talking about — just inside where the label normally is?
Yep, Kay responded. Within an hour of Kay’s commentary, the video of Chisholm’s bat and Kay’s exchange with O’Neill was posted on multiple platforms of social media, amplified over and over. What happened over the next 48 hours was what you get when you mix the power of social media and the desperation of a generation of beleaguered hitters. Batting averages are at a historic low, strikeout rates at a historic high, and on a sunny spring day in the Bronx, here were the Yankees blasting baseballs into the seats with what seemed to be a strangely shaped magic bat.
An oasis of offense had formed on the horizon, and hitters — from big leaguers to Little Leaguers, including at least one member of Congress — paddled toward it furiously. Acres of trees will be felled and shaped to feed the thirst for this new style of bats. Last weekend, one bat salesman asked his boss, “What the heck have we done?”
Jared Smith, CEO of bat-maker Victus, said, “I’ve been making bats for 15, 16 years. … This is the most talked-about thing in the industry since I started. And I hope we can make better-performing bats that work for players.”
According to Bobby Hillerich, the vice president of production at Hillerich & Bradsby, his company — which is based in Louisville, Kentucky, and makes Louisville Slugger bats — had produced 20 versions of the torpedo bat as of this past Saturday, and in less than a week, that number has tripled as players and teams continually call in their orders.
Even though Saturday marked its launch into the mainstream, this shape of bat has actually been around for a while. Hillerich & Bradsby had its first contact with a team about the style in 2021 and had nondisclosure agreements with four teams as the bat evolved; back then, it was referred to as the “bowling pin” bat. The Cubs’ Nico Hoerner was the first major leaguer to try it — and apparently wasn’t comfortable with it. Cody Bellinger tried it when he was with the Cubs before joining the Yankees during the offseason.
Before Atlanta took the field Sunday night, Braves catcher Drake Baldwin recalled trying one in the Arizona Fall League last year (noting that his first impression was that it “looked weird”). Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor used it in 2024, in a year in which he would finish second in the NL MVP voting; Lindor’s was a little different from Volpe’s version, with a cup hollowed out at the end of the bat. Giancarlo Stanton swung one throughout his playoff surge last fall, but no one in the media noticed, perhaps because of how the pitch-black color of Stanton’s bat camouflaged the shape.
Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli saw one in the Twins’ dugout during spring training and picked it up, his attention drawn to the unusual shape. “What the hell is this thing?” he asked, wondering aloud whether the design was legal. When he was assured it was, he put it back down.
Baldelli’s experience reflected the way hitters have used and assessed bats since the advent of baseball: They’ll pick up bats and see how they feel, their interest fueled by the specter of success. Tony Gwynn won eight batting titles, and many teammates and opposing hitters — Barry Bonds among them — asked whether they could inspect his bats. The torpedo bat’s arrival was simply the latest version of that long-held search for the optimal tool.
On Opening Day, eight teams had some version of the torpedo bat within their stock, according to one major league source. But with video of the Yankees’ home runs being hit off unusual bats saturating social media Saturday afternoon, the phone of Kevin Uhrhan, pro bat sales rep for Louisville Slugger, blew up with requests for torpedo bats. James Rowson, the hitting coach of the Yankees, began to get text inquiries — about 100, he later estimated. Everyone wanted to know about the bat; everyone wanted to get their own.
In San Diego, Braves players asked about the bats, and by Sunday morning, equipment manager Calvin Minasian called in the team’s order. By the middle of the week, all 30 teams had asked for the bats. “Every team started trying to get orders in,” Hillerich said. “We’re trying to scramble to get wood. And then it was: How fast can we get this to retail?”
Victus produces the bats Chisholm and Volpe are using and has made them available for retail. Three senior players, all in their 70s, stopped by the Victus store to ask about the torpedoes. A member of Congress who plays baseball reached out to Louisville Slugger.
The Cincinnati Reds contacted Hillerich & Bradsby, saying, “We need you in Cincinnati on Monday ASAP,” and soon after, Uhrhan and pro bat production manager Brian Hillerich, Bobby’s brother, made the 90-minute drive from the company’s factory in Louisville with test bats.
Reds star Elly De La Cruz tried a few, decided on a favorite and used it for a career performance that night.
“You can think in New York, maybe there was wind,” Bobby Hillerich said. “Elly hits two home runs and gets seven RBIs. That just took it to a whole new level.”
A few days after the Yankees’ explosion, Aaron Leanhardt, who had led New York’s effort to customize its bats as a minor league hitting coordinator before being hired by the Marlins as their field coordinator, was in the middle of a horseshoe of reporters, explaining the background. “There are a lot more cameras here today than I’m used to,” he said, laughing.
Stanton spoke with reporters about the simple concept behind the bat: build a design for where a hitter is most likely to make contact. “You wonder why no one has thought of it before, for sure,” Stanton said. “I didn’t know if it was, like, a rule-based thing of why they were shaped like that.”
Over and over, MLB officials assured those asking: Yes, the bats are legal and meet the sport’s equipment specifications. Trevor Megill, the Brewers’ closer, complained about the bats, calling them like “something used in slow-pitch softball,” but privately, baseball officials were thrilled by the possibility of seeing offense goosed, something they had been attempting through rule change in recent years.
“It’s all the rage right now, given what transpired over the weekend,” said Jeremy Zoll, assistant general manager of the Twins. “I’m sure more and more guys are going to experiment with it as a result, just to see if it’s something they like.”
That personal preference is a factor for which some front office types believe the mass orders of the bats don’t account: The Yankees’ recommendations to each hitter were based on months of past data of how that player tended to strike the ball. This was not about a one-size-fits all bat; it was about precise bat measurements that reflected an individual player’s swing.
“I had never heard of it. I’ve used the same bat for nine years, so I think I’ll stick with that,” White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi said. “It’s pretty interesting. It makes sense. If it works for a guy, good for him. If it doesn’t, stick with what you got.”
As longtime player Eric Hosmer explained on the “Baseball Tonight” podcast, the process is a lot like what players can do in golf: look for clubs customized for a player’s particular swing. And, he added, hitting coaches might begin to think more about which bat might be most effective against particular pitchers. If a pitcher tends to throw inside, a torpedo bat could be more effective; if a pitcher is more effective outside, maybe a larger barrel would be more appropriate.
That’s the key, according to an agent representing a player who ordered a bat: “You need years of hitting data in the big leagues to dial it in and hopefully get a better result. He’s still tinkering with it; he may not even use it in a game. … I think of it like switching your irons in golf to blades: It will feel a little different and take some adjusting, and it may even change your swing subtly.”
Two days after the home run explosion, Boone said, “You’re just trying to just get what you can on the margins, move the needle a little bit. And that’s really all you’re going to do. I don’t think this is some revelation to where we’re going to be — it’s not related to the weekend that we had, for example. I don’t think it’s that. Maybe in some cases, for some players it may help them incrementally. That’s how I view it.”
“I’m kind of starting to smile at it a little more … a lot of things that aren’t real.”
Said the player agent: “It’s not an aluminum bat with plutonium in it like everyone is making it out to be.”
Reliever Adam Ottavino watched this all play out, with his 15 years of experience. “It’s the Yankees and they scored a million runs in the first few games, and it’s cool to hate the Yankees and it’s cool to look for the bogeyman,” Ottavino said, “and that’s what some people are going to do, and [you] can’t really stop that. But there’s also a lot of misinformation and noneducation on it too.”
Major league baseball mostly evolves at a glacial pace. For example, the sport is well into the second century of complaints about the surface of the ball and the debate over financial disparity among teams. From time to time, however, baseball has its eclipses, moments that command full attention and inspire change. On a “Sunday Night Baseball” game on May 18, 2008, an umpire’s botched home run call at Yankee Stadium compelled MLB to implement the first instant replay. Buster Posey’s ankle was shattered in a home plate collision in May 2011, imperiling the career of the young star, and new rules about that type of play were rewritten.
The torpedo bat eruption could turn out to be transformative, a time when the industry became aware how a core piece of equipment has been taken for granted and aware that bats could be more precisely designed to augment the ability of each hitter. Or this could all turn out to be a wild overreaction to an outlier day of home runs against a pitching staff having a really bad day.
On Thursday, Cortes — who had been hammered for five homers over two innings in Yankee Stadium — shut out the Reds for six innings.
In Baltimore, Bregman, who had tried the torpedo bat earlier this week, reverted to his usual stock and had three hits against the Orioles, including a home run. Afterward, Bregman said, “It’s the hitter. Not the bat.”
This story was also reported by Jeff Passan, Jorge Castillo, Jesse Rogers and Kiley McDaniel.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports12 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway