BRONX, NY: 2023 was a big one for the Yankees and newly promoted shortstop, Anthony Volpe. The Yankees get to Opening Day with their top prospect, and Anthony Volpe gets to show what he can do at the Major League level.
After finishing his freshman year slashing .209/.283/.383 with 21 home runs all while capping his season off with a Gold Glove Award. Many wondered if Volpe had what it took to make the jump and become the Yankees everyday shortstop. So far in 2024, he’s doing just that.
Volpe is now hitting an MLB-best .441 with a .513 OBP, 1.219 OPS and 259 wRC+ in 10 games to begin the year. Volpe has already reached 1 WAR, in which he didn’t reach until the 79th game of the 2023 season. Volpe has also reached base safely 20 times in his first 10 games this season, that's more times reaching base safely than in any 10-game span for him last year.
Volpe has made significant changes from the previous year. Rather than chasing the power by muscling up, he’s trying to drive low line drives up the middle or other way. It is quite noticeable how much more tightly his bat stays off the rear shoulder. Which is delivering the barrel deep and inside the baseball's seam.
Volpe also has faith in his swing and course. Reducing the distance between him and the baseball by allowing the pitch to travel deeper. Making him make better swing selections, allowing him to hit more pitches and ultimately earn more hits.
On top of his quite impressive batting performance, Volpe has even taken a step up on his glove work. Already having a Gold Glove Award on his resume, Volpe is just improving.
There is no question that the sample size is small, but it has to be a beautiful sight for Yankee fans and the Yankees. The Bombers are heading into the second game of a three game set against the Marlins. With a 9-2 record to open the season, Volpe has a lot to do with that.