The New York Yankees secured a much-needed win against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday afternoon, courtesy of a tremendous performance from Domingo German. Despite a sticky situation towards the end of his start, German finished with 11 strikeouts over 6.1 innings, lowering his ERA to 3.86 on the season after a tough first two appearances.
The offense did more than enough to secure a victory, scoring six runs courtesy of a few extra-base hits and homers. Both Kyle Higashioka and Anthony Rizzo contributed a home run, and DJ LeMahieu posted an RBI single in his return from a quad injury.
However, it is essential to note that Anthony Volpe was the run LeMahieu batted it in, and without him stealing second base after drawing a walk, the Bombers may not have scored in the bottom of the 5th.
Yankees’ Anthony Volpe is already setting records:
In fact, Volpe set a Yankee record on Saturday, becoming the youngest player in team history to steal three bags in a single game. Volpe now has six stolen bases on the year, doubling his total in one game, preparing us for his ascension as he adjusts to the MLB.
The Yankees’ top prospect is hitting just .186 but hosts a .314 OBP, helped by a 15.7% walk rate. His 31.4% strikeout rate is slowly decreasing, but Volpe currently hosts a four-game hitting streak and is quite obviously getting comfortable at a pretty brisk pace. He’s drawn three walks in his last two games and posted a home run on Friday, the first of his MLB career.
The 21-year-old would always need time to adjust and find his sea legs at the highest level of baseball, so it is not surprising to see him slowly looking more comfortable. His swing decisions and chase rate have decreased over the past few days, taking more pitches and hitting with power.
Once Volpe gets on base, he’s an immediate threat to steal a bag and put himself in scoring position. Currently featuring in the nine-hole, Volpe has the luxury of hitting right before LeMahieu and Aaron Judge, so he’s more than capable of crossing home plate one way or another as long as he gets on base.
Anthony’s Steamer projections have them posting a .313 OBP this season, but considering he’s hovering just around that range coming off a slow start to 2023, things only expect to get better in the offensive categories. Defensively, he’s been stout at shortstop, posting a perfect fielding percentage with three defensive runs saved above average.
The Yankees have seen plenty of positives from the youngster and expect him to continue getting better over time, which should get the fans excited as well.