The torpedo bat's rise has changed the industry for the companies that make them. Here is one bat-maker's story.

Reds star Elly De La Cruz is the latest convert, hitting two home runs and knocking in seven runs in his first game with the unique bat.

"They're absolutely good for baseball," he said to the New York Times ' Michael S. Schmidt. "I believe that issues like the torpedo bat and the debate around it demonstrate the fact that baseball still occupies a unique place in our culture, because people get into a complete frenzy over something that’s really nothing at the end of the day.

Schmidt, Manfred explained that pitchers are "already damaged goods" because of how they're being taught to throw at a young age: "I think pitching injuries may be one of the most difficult problems that we have confronted.

In an interview with The New York Times, Manfred also forecasted fans getting more access to game broadcasts after the 2028 season.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is pleased with how the automated ball-strike system experiment went during spring training. Speaking to Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times, Manfred called the use of ABS this spring "really successful" with the hope it can be implemented in the regular season starting in 2026: "I think the owners made a good choice by going with the challenge system first,