Baseball has never been a sport to avoid a little touch of nostalgia mixed with innovation. Remember the days when the phrase “chicks dig the long ball” rang through baseball stadiums? It looks like those days are making a high-tech comeback, though this time with a groundbreaking twist. Enter the “torpedo” bat: the sleek, new baseball accessory that’s propelling home runs at a dizzying rate and giving baseball card collectors plenty to talk about at trade shows.

It was a regular day at the ballpark when the Milwaukee Brewers found themselves in the middle of a spectacle that felt more like a physics experiment than a baseball game. The Yankees, armed with these newly designed torpedoes, treated the stadium like their personal battleground, sending an astonishing 15 balls soaring over the fence in a single series. Nine of those were spectacularly launched in just one game. The Brewers’ pitchers might have started polishing their resumes that very night.

Why the name “torpedo”? Much like their weaponized counterparts, these bats are engineered for maximum impact. Each bat is custom-made to match a player’s own hitting preferences and mechanics. The result? Baseball fans are witnessing a fireworks show of home runs, while pitchers are left caught between admiration and dread as these custom clubs send baseballs hurtling out of the park with alarming frequency.

The burgeoning popularity of torpedo bats has put savvy baseball card collectors on high alert. The days of pitchers dominating the spotlight for collectors seem numbered. Hitters are now the golden geese laying the most golden of eggs — their extra-base hits driving trading card values into a frenzy. Aaron Judge of the Yankees, despite sticking with his old bat, has seen his card value skyrocket in the wake of his team’s power-hitting juggernaut performance. Clearly, when a home-run bacchanal is underway, collectors aren’t overly fussy about the technical specifics or choice of bat.

On the flip side, star pitchers who have commanded high card values—the likes of Paul Skenes, the recent NL Rookie of the Year, along with promising future stars such as Jackson Jobe of the Detroit Tigers and Roki Sasaki from the Dodgers—could find the collector’s market less friendly than a hanging curveball. Their valued cards might face a selloff steeper than a falling knuckleball unless Major League Baseball steps in with some corrective measures for the torpedo phenomenon.

There is, however, one man on the mound who might defy this new trend of pitcher sidelining: Shohei Ohtani. The iconic superhero of modern baseball, known for his ability as both pitcher and slugger, could very well decide that swinging from the heels with a torpedo bat might be the most rewarding avenue this season, leaving fans and collectors alike thrilled with anticipation of more of his legendary long balls. Ohtani’s mastery over the game—equal parts finesse and ferocity—remains a collector’s delight, with his card values likely immune to the turbulence shaking the rest of the field.

As this unprecedented shift in the sport continues to unfold, pitchers may find themselves apprehensively donning helmets while taking up knitting or some other calming pastime during their downtime. Collectors, on the other hand, have a clear directive: stack your portfolios with power hitters before it’s too late.

MLB’s market dynamics are notorious for flipping on a dime, but right now, there’s one clear signal cutting through the noise like a well-swung bat through a fastball: hitting home runs isn’t just about winning games; it’s soaring straight into the hearts and wallets of collectors worldwide.

Whether you’re a dyed-in-the-wool Yankees fan witnessing the bounty of heavy hitters or a glum Milwaukee fan lamenting the days of effective pitching, the torpedo bat saga continues to unfold, reshaping the thrilling narrative of America’s favorite pastime and the speculative fervor of those who trade in its most treasured collectibles. Here’s to more home runs, louder cheers, and at least until MLB’s rule book catches up, something every baseball fan—and every card collector—can celebrate.

Torpedo Bats on Topps Now