Aaron Leanhardt, the mastermind behind the Yankees' torpedo bats, has one of the craziest career pivots ever.

• Earned a PhD from MIT
• Worked on a NASA-funded research team
• Physics professor at Michigan for 7 years

Leanhardt then left academics (at 40 years old) to pursue baseball.

He started at Dawson Community College in Montana before becoming a minor league coach for the Yankees.

Leanhardt then moved to the big league club and was responsible for bridging the gap between the analytics department and the players by translating complex analytical data into actionable insights.

What a journey.

By:
Joe Pompliano
@JoePompliano