{"id":673300,"date":"2026-04-11T13:39:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T13:39:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/673300\/"},"modified":"2026-04-11T13:39:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T13:39:21","slug":"the-yankees-should-find-some-new-torpedo-bats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/673300\/","title":{"rendered":"The Yankees Should Find Some New Torpedo Bats"},"content":{"rendered":"

This time last year, the New York Yankees had the league in a frenzy. They shelled Nestor Cortes for eight earned runs and five homers. The first inning against him was a full-on blitz for a pitcher who, a few months earlier, authored one of the more heartbreaking endings in recent team history.<\/p>\n

To the world, the reason the Yankees were so good in 2025 was because of something called torpedo bats<\/a>. The bat with a non-traditional barrel was approved by Major League Baseball and turned out to be a non-issue, even though it drew complaints from opposing teams<\/a>. It’s funny just how different a place the Yankees are in now than they were then.<\/p>\n

\"Milwaukee<\/p>\n

Mar 29, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Nestor Cortes (65) pitches in the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

At this point last year, the Yankees were hitting .260 as a team. That was 4th in MLB. Their .841 OPS, 133 wRC+, and 26 homers were all first.<\/p>\n

The team is relatively the same, but the offensive output is not. They’re hitting .201 in 2026. That’s 28th in baseball. Their .648 OPS is 22nd, and their 95 wRC+ is 19th. They also have 12 homers on the year. They are tied for 8th with the Mariners, Rays, Blue Jays, and Phillies.<\/p>\n

Another Listless Loss<\/p>\n

That game against the Rays could have easily gone the way that the one with the Athletics did the day before. The Yankees lost to Las Vegas 1-0, and were it not for Tampa’s bad defense in the first inning, Ben Rice’s pinch-hit blast could have easily been the lone run the Yankees scored that day as well.<\/p>\n

Pinch-hit home run for Ben Rice! pic.twitter.com\/kHnm9ptGVF<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

When asked about the team’s offensive woes, Rice said the group as a whole wasn’t worried. For him, it’s still too early in the year to start panicking.<\/p>\n

“I don’t think there’s any concern,” Rice said, according to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch<\/a>. “We’re so early in the year, and of course, we got off to a hot start as well. I think everyone is very calm here and understands there’s a long road ahead. We’ve got the team that can take us to where we want to go.”<\/p>\n

Manager Aaron Boone shared similar sentiments. He says the power will return at some point.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got to get some guys clicking and obviously get that big hit,\u201d Boone said. \u201cWe\u2019re not hitting a ton of long balls right now. It\u2019s going to happen sometimes from the offense. They\u2019ll get it rolling, and some people will pay the price.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bottom of the lineup has especially been a non-factor for the Yankees. 5 through 9 <\/a>in the order are all below a 100 wRC+.<\/p>\n

Jose Caballero, in particular, is teetering on being one of the worst hitters of 2026 so far. He has a 1 wRC+. It’s hard to be worse than that.<\/p>\n

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!<\/a><\/p>\n