Anthony Volpe, the Yankees’ shortstop, is making waves in his second season, with his performance being hailed as nothing short of stellar. His off-season training has paid off in spades, leaving his opponents scrambling to keep up.
Volpe’s dedication during the off-season is evident. He focused on refining his swing and honing his approach after a full year of big-league at-bats. This concerted effort is now proving to be a challenge for his competitors.
Volpe’s performance has been impressive, even on the days when he didn’t hit safely. Despite a few misses, his batting average stands at a remarkable .375. This, combined with his exceptional defense after bagging the AL Gold Glove at shortstop, has earned him admiration not just within the Yankees but across the league.
“Volpe at shortstop is becoming a superstar in this league,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker noted.
Volpe’s skill set extends beyond just his batting and defensive play. He’s also exhibited tremendous consistency, a trait that has garnered him respect from his teammates.
“The most impressive thing — we can talk about all the stuff he’s doing — but his demeanor and how he acted last year hitting .200, he’s the exact same as when he’s hitting .500,” Aaron Judge, a fellow Yankee, observed. “He’s been consistent through these first [11] games, and that’s what you look for [in] a guy that’s going to be your shortstop, one of the future leaders of your team. It’s been impressive just how consistent he is.”
Despite a rookie season where he hit .209 with a .666 OPS, Volpe didn’t let these stats deter him. Instead, he worked on flattening his bat path and keeping his bat in the strike zone longer, giving himself better coverage of different pitches in the zone.
In his rookie year, he struggled against breaking pitches, batting just .148 with a .262 slugging percentage and a 33.9 percent whiff rate against them. This season, he has shown tremendous improvement, batting .500 with a .857 slugging percentage and a 15.4 percent whiff rate against breaking pitches.
Hitting coach James Rowson attributes Volpe’s success to his ability to maintain the adjustments he made in the off-season.
“A lot of times, people try to make adjustments, but it’s the ability to maintain those adjustments that makes you great. Right now, Volpe’s maintaining the things he worked on, and it’s showing every day.”
Manager Aaron Boone sees a bright future for Volpe, even envisioning him at the top of the lineup. However, he’s in no rush to make this change and prefers to let Volpe continue his successful run lower in the lineup.
While Volpe continues to shine, other players like Gleyber Torres have yet to achieve significant results. However, they are showing promise and contributing to the team’s performance.
On the injury front, veteran third baseman DJ LeMahieu and AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole are making progress. LeMahieu is working on his lateral movements, while Cole came through his first day of playing catch feeling “good.”
