Victus, a U.S.-based bat manufacturing company, launched in a New Jersey garage in 2012 by Jared Smith and Ryan Engroff. Today, they’re riding an all-time high demand for their unique “torpedo” style baseball bats. The sudden interest has propelled the factory into overdrive, transforming operations to meet the needs of both professional athletes and the general public.
It all started when the New York Yankees asked for a special bat design in the spring training of 2024. The outcome was the torpedo bat, which moved the wood further down the barrel and made it taper like a bowling pin. Fast forward five years and that little bat has definitely taken flight. Indeed, it was everything that took the entire league by storm when introduced just 24 hours earlier.
Over the past 10 years, Victus has developed an amazing reputation as a producer of top-of-the-line products. They’ve impressed diners with their creative builds. The company first made a name for itself producing breathtaking bat artwork. This extraordinary work of art, along with its beautiful soundtrack, has only heightened its acclaim among players and fans alike. Bruce Tatum, an in-house artist known as “The Bat King,” produces bold graphics that have made Victus’ appearance as cool and original as the product itself.
It typically takes the artisans two days to create a single bat. Victus has changed the way they make those bats, getting the turnaround time down to about 20 minutes—with no finish! This efficiency is key to fulfilling the new wave of orders for the torpedo bat. It puts itself in direct competition against basic models that are priced around $200.
About 15 players, mostly younger ones, have been using the torpedo bat for a year or two. Its widespread popularity has only recently taken off. The bat’s success is largely due to its unique specifications and performance features. The main underlying design of the bat to increase mass in the sweet spot comes from Aaron Leanhardt, a former front-office staffer for the Yankees. That’s a truly massive improvement which propels hitting production enormously.
For Smith, the increase in buzz around their bats came as a pleasant surprise.
“For bats to be the hot topic out in the zeitgeist is cool,” – Jared Smith
He added that this recent surge is an exciting time for Victus.
“It’s kind of like our time to shine, in a way.” – Jared Smith
The Yankees’ influence cannot be understated. Their endorsement played a pivotal role in elevating the torpedo bat’s profile. Smith noted how the performance of the players really turned public perception around on the product.
“If the Yankees hitting nine home runs in a game doesn’t happen, this doesn’t happen,” – Jared Smith
Victus now has more than 300 employees, including roughly 60 at its corporate HQ in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. To address that increasing demand, the company has massively scaled up its production. The factory’s workforce is learning to make these highly coveted bats on the fly, all while meeting Louisville Slugger’s stringent quality control standards.
Furthermore, Victus’s partnership with Major League Baseball as the exclusive bat supplier adds to its credibility within the industry. To reinforce this new collaboration, the company is bringing in additional partners to increase the output of the torpedo bat. This exciting collaboration will allow them to meet the increasing demand from professional players and amateur hobbyists alike.
Even with all of the buzz about the torpedo bat, industry veterans are being realistic about its deficiencies. We met Trea Turner who told us all the big data in the world cannot replace the magic of a good bat.
“You’ve still got to hit the ball,” – Trea Turner
Zac Gallen identified that task of getting past the first skepticism about the new shape of the bat as a big step to getting players on board.
“I think getting past the shape being different was the hardest barrier,” – Zac Gallen
Smith added that was when the players began to see success on the offensive side of the game. Consequently, people were salivating at the opportunity to try it out.
“Then the team goes out and hits those home runs like they did and everyone is willing to try it.” – Jared Smith
To further attract attention and scallops market share, Victus has led the charge in creativity with their novelty designs. In his speech, Smith teased a new production rooted in culinary culture.
“Bruce’s cheesesteak bat, I’m just telling you, is going to be the talk of the town,” – Jared Smith
Victus is balancing the rapid growth with an increased demand for product while maintaining the relentless pursuit of making a great bat. Simultaneously, it’s testing out new concepts that have an appeal to the baseball aesthetic.
Ed Costantini provided commentary on the performance metrics of the torpedo bat. He once told me that visible ball marks on the bat were a key litmus test for openness to critique and improvement.
“The litmus test that I used was, I could see where the marks of the ball were,” – Ed Costantini
