The New York Yankees have been dominating at the Major League level, picking up another blowout win on Friday over the Kansas City Royals. Piecing together eight consecutive wins, the offense has finally picked up the pace, matching the quality of their pitching to open the year. Hosting the 2nd best record in baseball, just behind the New York Mets, the Yankees should be extremely excited about their potential, and that’s not even concerning their top prospect.
Anthony Volpe has begun the 2022 season in Double-A Somerset, hitting .210 to open the year but has been increasingly more effective as he adapts to the change in quality. Volpe has picked up two homers and 12 RBIs over 62 at-bats, but in his last two games, he’s tallied a combined three hits over 10 at-bats, showing an uptick in efficiency.
Yankees’ star prospect Anthony Volpe spoke with Sam Dykstra of MLB.com, noting this transition to Double-A ball and what he’s been trying to improve upon:
I just think it’s been the pitching, how they’re planning to attack me and trying to pick up on that as early in the week as I can to make my adjustments and be better prepared every single at-bat.
The stud shortstop prospect clearly sees the difference in quality from Single-A to Double-A, as players take a more detailed approach to each individual hitter. It seems the preparation and knowledge are advanced, which has taken Volpe time to get used to — understanding his opponent and how they will try to attack him in the batter’s box.
Defensively, Volpe is working diligently to improve his reaction timing and making plays others are incapable of:
Range and getting to the balls that other guys can’t. I work really hard in training and practice and everything to kind of separate ourselves out. Obviously, we’re always taking care of the fundamentals — your hands and your conversion and your throws and stuff like that. So it’s definitely a lot of little things to keep up on, but I’d say probably the range and getting to balls other guys can’t was probably the main priority.
Over 15 games this season, Volpe hosts a .980 field percentage, allowing one error. He’s been mostly stout at SS, showcasing great arm talent and smooth transitions. The Yankees have found their stop-gap solution in Isiah Kiner-Falefa, but they must be excited about Volpe’s gradual development this season, so far.