Victus Sports, the company aiming to revolutionize Major League Baseball

The 2025 season marked a turning point in Major League Baseball: for the first time since 1997, the league changed its official baseball bat supplier, moving from Louisville Slugger to Marucci Sports and Victus Sports. This change stemmed from the desire to embrace a more modern approach to the production of one of the game’s most essential tools. Louisville Slugger has been part of MLB history since its foundation and will continue to be part of its modern story, as it will still supply bats for some players. Marucci Sports and Victus Sports, on the other hand, have obtained exclusive rights to use the logos, names, and colors of MLB and its franchises under an agreement that will last through December 2029. Marucci Sports and Victus Sports share the same ownership, as Marucci Sports acquired Victus Sports in 2017. According to their estimates, they hold the largest market share within MLB, claiming that at least 50% of players use a Marucci or Victus bat; however, the two companies have completely different approaches to the market.

The Torpedo Bats

Marucci is the more traditional of the two brands, more inclined to respect history and rules, while Victus is the brand that in recent years has tried to push beyond MLB’s regulatory limitations. The latest example is the torpedo bats: elongated bats with a slightly bulged center, different from classic ones. This design provides a larger sweet spot in the middle of the bat rather than near the top, as is typical in traditional bats. The idea for this distinctive feature came from the New York Yankees, based on an insight by Aaron Leanhardt, a former analyst for the Yankees and now under contract with the Miami Marlins, who noticed that Anthony Volpe tended to hit the ball more often with the center of the bat.

That insight helped the New York Yankees set a new MLB record for the number of home runs hit in the first four games of a season: a whopping 16. The introduction of the torpedo bats wasn’t well-received by a large portion of the American media. There was major backlash, with some even calling for a total ban on these bats. MLB responded by stating that no rules had been broken, and for that reason, torpedo bats are flooding the fields and becoming one of Victus’ best-selling products — the first company to make them available for purchase online.

The Color Revolution

While a first technological revolution has taken place, Victus may now be pushing for a second one: a color revolution. According to the official MLB rulebook: “No colored bat may be used in a professional game unless approved by the Rules Committee.” More specifically, bats may be one color or two colors with a division at 18 inches. The permitted colors are black, brown, and natural wood tones.

Despite these limitations, Victus has managed over the years to bring custom-designed bats onto the field, such as a camouflage version for Adam Jones. There have also been flashier versions, like the pencil bat for Bryce Harper, who this season used a blue bat during a gender reveal. While MLB had previously issued formal warnings to Victus for producing bats that didn’t comply with league parameters—or rather, its dogmas—this recent episode seems to support the theory that MLB may be ready to break with tradition and, in collaboration with Victus, open the door to customized bats.