The New York Yankees are witnessing the rise of star prospect Anthony Volpe at the major league level. Despite starting at the bottom of the batting order, he has now progressed to being the primary leadoff man and has efficiently produced in this position.
When batting ninth, Volpe had a batting average of .167 with a .302 OBP and .524 OPS. He managed just six hits in 36 at-bats and struck out 14 times. However, since leading off, he has had 43 at-bats, producing 12 hits, two home runs, seven RBIs, and nine walks. He now has a .279 batting average with a .404 OBP and .869 OPS, which are substantially better numbers.
In the past two weeks, Volpe’s swing decisions and plate discipline have been outstanding. He has had a 12-game sample size during which he has hit .293 with a .442 OBP, 164 wRC+, and a 51.9% hard-hit rate. His season-long stats also show promise, with a 39.2% hard-hit rate, a 5.9% barrel rate, and an 89.4 average exit velocity.
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The Yankees needed Anthony Volpe to hit his stride:
Yankees manager Aaron Boone has been impressed with Volpe and had advocated for him extensively during spring training when the team was deciding on the starting shortstop position.
“He’s been terrific,” Boone said. “He keeps hitting the ball hard, too. I was considering giving him a day off today too. The at-bats, especially as we go through this stretch, have just been really consistent with him. More of that today at the top.”
With the Yankees struggling to get their offense going, they cannot afford to rest any of their top players. Volpe has been performing exceptionally well lately, getting on base and making hits, so Boone has no choice but to include him in the lineup every day. If the team strings together a few wins, Volpe might get a day off, but for now, he wants to be involved.
“I’m just overall feeling pretty comfortable,” Volpe said. “I feel like I’m seeing the ball well. Just want to put together good at-bats. As long as I feel like I’m doing that, I feel like I’m helping the team out.”
Volpe has been responding well to added pressure and has been a crucial player for the Yankees. He enjoys having the weight on his shoulders and has performed exceptionally well as the leadoff man. Moving forward, the team is not expected to take it easy on him since he responds well to the intensity.