Elly De La Cruz Laughs About Using 'Torpedo' Bat Again After 2 HR, 7 RBIs in Reds' Win

The torpedo bat remains all the rage in Major League Baseball, with Cincinnati Reds star Elly De La Crus being the latest player to have a big game while using the custom lumber.

After going 4-for-5 with two homers and seven RBI in the Reds' 14-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Monday, De La Cruz laughed when asked by reporters if he would be using the torpedo bat again (starts at 3:00 mark).

Even though the torpedo bats were used last season, they garnered significant attention during opening weekend after the New York Yankees hit nine homers in a single game on Saturday and 15 total in their three-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers.

The bats, which are legal under MLB rules, are designed to distribute the weight differently than what has been traditionally used. Instead of the bat expanding from the bottom up, so the top is the widest point, the torpedo bat has more wood located in a specific point where the hitter is most likely to make contact with the ball.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, the science behind the torpedo bat is that increased mass at the barrel should increase exit velocities and weight distribution closer to the knob promotes faster swings.

Simple logic will say that faster swings and increased exit velocities lead to more power.

There's still no hard evidence to suggest that the bats lead to sustained improvement. The Yankees' barrage against the Brewers took off in part because it's the beginning of the season, so sample sizes are extremely small and any outlier performance will garner more attention.

De La Cruz, who is already an established star after finishing eighth in NL MVP voting last year, had a huge game against a pitcher in Kumar Rocker making his fourth career MLB start.