Category: MLB

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MLB

No, the MLB should not ban the new “torpedo” bats

With the MLB season starting last week, there is already much discussion about a particular aspect of the game unique to this season. No, I am not talking about the pitch clock or robot umpires. Instead, the new “Torpedo” bats, introduced by the New York Yankees, have sparked one of the biggest debates in sports currently. 
The torpedo bat was created by New York Yankees analyst Aaron Leanhardt, and introduced by the Yankees in their game against the Milwaukee Brewers. In that game, the Yankees hit nine home runs, leading them to win 20-9. Directly after these games, the league took notice and many other MLB teams placed orders for the new torpedo bats. Fans and analysts started to see a trend after the Cincinnati Reds debuted the torpedo bats against the Texas Rangers, a game in which Elly De La Cruz went 4-5 with 2 home runs and 11 RBIs. Now that the torpedo bats have proven to be effective in batters’ performance, it provokes an argument for and against the use of the bats.
The bat itself has a thicker barrel closer to the batter’s hands and is thinner up top, which helps certain batters both make contact more often and have more power. Although the bat currently complies with the MLB rules, many skeptics believe that the bat will be banned since it gives an unfair advantage to the batters, therefore disincentivizing pitchers to throw strikes. Even if the bat is currently legal, historically the MLB has been open to rule changes as needed. 
For me as a baseball fan, I believe that the torpedo bat is perfect for the MLB in 2025. In recent years, the MLB has made many changes to drive viewership up, including implementing a pitch clock and widening the bases. Although those changes were effective, the MLB will be best revived if many runs are scored. For the casual baseball fans, they are not looking to see low-scoring pitching battles, instead, they want to see strong offense. For the MLB, the torpedo bat is great since they can increase the hits in a game without doing anything controversial like they have done in the past with juiced balls. As this debate rages on, it will be interesting if the MLB decides to take action or stick with the new bats.

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MLB

Rece Hinds gives the Cincinnati Reds hope that they can secure a playoff berth

Entering the all-star break, the Cincinnati Reds are in a much better position than they were a month ago. Though still fourth place in the NL Central, they are only 8 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers who sit in first place.

 They can credit new outfielder Rece Hinds for the hot streak they are riding, as he was called up to the major league only a few weeks ago and has been dominating. So far, Hinds is 11-23 with three doubles, a triple, and five home runs. Usually, it takes time for rookies to adjust to the major leagues, but Hinds has started on fire. For the Reds, Hinds’ hot start has given both the players and the fans life, despite the rough stretch of losses the Reds had faced for much of the season. 

Within only a few weeks, Hinds has deservingly been named the National League player of the week. Hinds is showing that he might be the missing piece for this young Reds team, who have struggled with scoring runs consistently. Since the departure of Joey Votto, the Reds lost a player who could hit home runs in crucial moments of a game, and bring the energy as well. Hinds is filling the Joey Votto role perfectly so far, as he has already been the determining factor to win numerous games. If Hinds is a legit star, adding him to the Reds’ already elite young core should be concerning for the other teams in the NL Central.

Last season, the Reds became the most fun and high-energy team in the league once Elly De La Cruz was called up. There has been a similar feeling among Reds fans and players as Rece Hinds mania takes over the MLB. Although pitchers will start adjusting, making it more difficult for Hinds, the Reds need to use this winning experience to fuel a potential playoff push.

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MLB

How the Cincinnati Reds Became the Most Fun Team in the MLB

Just last year the Cincinnati Reds were the joke among MLB fans, starting the season atrociously with a 3-22 record, and ultimately finishing with the third-worst record in the entire league. This was the outcome of the Reds’ management losing all-star caliber players Jesse Winker, Luis Castillo, and Nick Castellanos. The Reds went into the 2023 season with little to no expectations as their roster appeared better suited to play in the minor leagues than to compete in the NL Central, a very tough division. With such little hope, this season could be anything but a success… right? Maybe not.  

Promising Young Pitching Rotation 

It wasn’t all dire for the Reds at the start of 2023, as they did have a great young pitching rotation with future stars in Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, and Graham Ashcraft. Although the starting rotational pitchers had some success, the relieving pitchers lost the Reds multiple games right off the bat. These avoidable losses led to the Reds having a mediocre start with a record of 18-22. While the season wasn’t going all that badly, it was nothing special. It was not a completely lost season just yet, so the Reds decided to capitalize on it.  

Matt McLain’s Immediate Impact

The Reds’ first move was to call up one of their top young prospects, shortstop Matt McLain, from the minor leagues. McClain was dominating triple-A baseball for the Louisville Bats and seemed ready to enter “The Show.” Through McLain’s first month in the big leagues, he was already one of the best hitters in baseball with a batting average of .328. McLain was the first piece to a future contending Reds team. However, he was not the answer to fix all the Reds’ struggles as he is only a single player. After a month of him on the roster, the Reds were still hovering over the .500-win percentage.  

Gaining Momentum 

Along with McLain, the Reds called up a few more of their pitching prospects to start a new era of baseball in Cincinnati. Notable pitchers called up include Andrew Abbott and Brandon Williamson. While not intending to rush the development of these young players, the Reds management was also aware of the potential negative consequences of waiting too long to call them up. Although Cincinnati finally had some hope, they were still lacking enough firepower on their team which could prevent them from making a playoff push.  

Elly De La Cruz: A Game Changer  

Last week, the Reds decided that it was time to call up ESPN’s number one prospect in the entire MLB, Elly De La Cruz. In 2018, the Reds signed 16-year-old De La Cruz as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic. For over a year, Reds fans had been impatiently waiting for De La Cruz to be called up as he was the most hyped-up prospect not just for the Reds, but for the entire league. De La Cruz is a 6 ‘5” switch-hitting infielder and often called a unicorn. His raw power, arm strength, and superhuman speed, at once made him a player that pitchers would fear. In his first game in the majors, De La Cruz shocked the world by hitting a 112-mph double which was the hardest hit of the season. He followed it up the next day by hitting a 458-foot homerun in which the ball almost left the stadium. It has only been a week since De La Cruz was called up, yet he is already doing incredible things in the MLB. Fans and opposing pitchers can only anticipate the rise of Elly De La Cruz, a future potential MVP candidate for years to come.  

While much of their season up to this point has been mediocre, the Reds are finally starting to break out and create a name for themselves. They are currently riding a five-game winning streak, the highest in the MLB, along with winning five of their last six series. The Reds have been nothing but must-see TV as of late, and being only 1.5 games back in the NL Central, they could potentially turn this momentum into a playoff push.