Anthony Volpe did not have the season most Yankees fans hoped for offensively, but the postseason has brought about a much different version of the young shortstop. Rather than the Volpe who struggled to do much damage on contact or lay off of pitches out of zone, we’re seeing a patient hitter taking more violent hacks at the dish, giving the Yankees a much deeper lineup. With a huge hit in last night’s 9-7 win over the Guardians, Volpe has continued to shine brightest for the Bronx Bombers in their biggest games.
Swinging with more intent than he did in the regular season and utilizing the opposite field, Anthony Volpe has shown signs of being the hitter we all knew he was capable of being when he emerged as a top-100 prospect.
The Bright Lights of October Haven’t Phased Yankees’ Anthony Volpe
Much has been made about Anthony Volpe’s swing changes over the winter, and while they didn’t result in the leap year many hoped, there were more reasons for his struggles than just his bat path. The swing decision didn’t improve. He chased about as much as he did last season while swinging in-zone less, resulting in a hitter who is too passive to swing at hittable pitches but isn’t disciplined enough to work walks.
He saw his walk rate decline from 8.7% to 6.1%, hurting his ability to get on base and virtually nullifying the improvement he made to his batting average. Furthermore, Volpe’s power regressed dramatically, and the Yankees were looking at a slap hitter who didn’t have great discipline and was closer to league-average in terms of contact rates. The postseason has seen some notable changes in his approach, as he seems to be letting the ball travel deeper in the box.
Anthony Volpe has only swung at 46.9% of pitches in-zone, but he’s only chased seven pitches in October (8.8%), allowing him to work plenty of walks. His ability to reach base often has helped create rallies, as the young shortstop is finding ways to work the count and force pitchers into throwing a hittable pitch he can handle. When Volpe does get his pitch, he doesn’t hold anything back.
READ MORE: Yankees’ World Series winning infielder is a whirlwind of volatility
Seeing the ball deep allows Anthony Volpe to swing out of his shoes on a ball with more confidence that he’ll make contact, and it also results in plenty of damage contact. While he’s slugging under .400, Volpe has consistently done damage on contact and has seen plenty of hits robbed by great defensive plays or poor luck. By lacing the ball into right field consistently, Volpe has been able to spark some late-game rallies like the one we saw last night.
Perhaps the break between the regular season and the postseason has helped Anthony Volpe regain some energy and swing hard consistently, but this also seems to be an approach shift as well. The Yankees sit just one win away from the World Series, a round that has alluded them since they won it all back in 2009, and his play in October has been pivotal in their success.
Hitting the ball hard is important. That’s been true since the inception of the sport, and while an eight-game sample size is hardly enough data to use in reference to a player taking a sustainable leap, it’s certainly been an encouraging run for Anthony Volpe. He hasn’t been able to hit the ball hard and make contact at the same time, swinging wildly between hitting for power and contact in his two years as a big leaguer.
Still only 23 years old, he has plenty of room to grow, but as the Yankees enter Game 5 of the ALCS with a trip to the World Series on the line, Volpe has done everything they’ve needed of him. This team is far from accomplishing the goal they set out to achieve in October, but if they are to finally bring home a championship, they’ll need their young shortstop to continue his autumn ascent.