Anthony Volpe entered his first season with tons of pressure and expectations on him. He was the Yankees highest ranked prospect taking the spot that Derek Jeter manned for 20 seasons. Although his rookie year came with ups and downs, he has taken the jump to stardom in season two.
His ability to impact the game on both ends this season is what has made him such a valuable piece to the Yankees. Although his offense needed more work than his defense he has shown improvement on both sides of the ball.
Anthony Volpe On Offense
Most of Anthony Volpe’s growing pains came from the offensive side of the plate. In 2023 He held a batting average of .209, an on base percentage of .383 and a slugging percentage of .383 which all lead to an OPS+ of 81. All these stats are below average.
As of May 15, all of these numbers have taken a huge leap in Volpe’s second season. His batting average is up to .269, his on base percentage is up to .351 and his slugging percentage is up to .419, which all leads to an OPS+ of 120. Volpe has looked much more comfortable at the plate this season which has allowed him to be moved to the leadoff spot.
Although it makes him less aggressive for stealing bases due to him not wanting to take the bat out of Soto and Judge’s hands, he’s still proven to be an important table setter. He is tied for 14th in all of MLB for runs scored with 28. He’s improved on base and hitting abilities have created new RBI chances for the power hitters in the order.
Photo via Sports Illustrated
Anthony Volpe’s strikeout percentage is down while his walk percentage has gone up. Volpe has made several adjustments to the plate for this to happen. First, his chase rate has gone down from 28.7 percent to 27.5 percent. That may seem small but in the grand scheme of the season chasing bad pitches 1.5 percent less of the time can make a huge difference. Even when he does chase, he’s making contact more often. Last season he had a 49.9 chase contact rate while this season it’s up to 62.3.
Volpe also swings at the first pitch six percent less than he did last season and whiffs at pitches seven percent less. This all shows that Volpe looks more comfortable and composed at the plate than he did last season. Last season Volpe looked overmatched as he attempted to adjust to major league pitching. This season Volpe looks much more disciplined and willing to wait for a pitch he can hit. This newfound discipline has helped him in every aspect of batting.
However, the most notable jump Anthony Volpe has taken is his stats in high leverage spots. In his rookie year Volpe had already improved from his normal averages to have a .247 average-.306 on base percentage -.483 slugging percentage in high leverage spots. This season has seen him become one of the best high leverage hitters in baseball with a .320 batting average, .400 on baseball percentage and .760 slugging percentage. The huge jump in the clutch has been huge for the Yankees, who have played many close games this season.
His defense
Anthony Volpe became one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball almost as soon as he made his debut. His ability to use his range to make plays that few can put the league on notice. He was able to win a gold glove in his rookie season over Carlos Correa and Corey Seager. However, just like with any rookie he had room to grow. This season has seen him manage to top his gold glove rookie season. Last season he had one outs above average.
Although this is good, he’s managed to zoom past that mark already with five outs above average, third in the entire league for shortstops behind Bobby Witt Jr. and Orlando Arcia. Volpe also continues to be one of the best shortstop in defensive runs saved. Last season he finished third in the league for shortstops. This season he has four defensive runs saved so far, putting him in a four-way tie with Orlando Arcia, Mookie Betts, and Gunnar Henderson for second place.
Anthony Volpe did not need to make the improvements on defense that he did. If he returned in 2024 with the same defense that he played in 2023 the Yankees would’ve been happy. However, his willingness to improve on mistakes even when they were few shows the work ethic that Volpe has. His willingness to improve along with his natural talent should allow him to live up to the superstar potential that was set up for him as a prospect.
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