A 70-year-old man who plays in an area senior hardball league popped into Victus Sports this week because he needed bats for the new season. Plus he just had to take some cuts with baseball's latest fad and see for himself if there really was some wizardry in the wallop off a torpedo bat.

Tucci is the founder and owner of Tucci bats, one of the preferred wooden bat manufacturers among major league players, so he is used to being on call to hitters who are certain a slight shift will make the difference.

Torpedo bats are just the latest innovation in the design of baseball bats, some of which stuck, and others which ... did not.

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.

Among the Yankees hitters who are using it, Anthony Volpe is a model for poor hitters who might see the torpedo bat as hope of becoming a good hitter. He's gained nearly 2 mph in average bat speed and 0.8 mph in average exit velocity.

Developed by a physicist, these bats have their widest part, called the barrel, closer to the player's hands to offer a better chance of hitting the ball on their "sweet spot"