The Yankees have won five of their last six games, and while most of the attention is on Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, it’s easy to overlook the impact that young shortstop Anthony Volpe has had over the last few weeks.
He experienced a cold stretch that sent him plummeting down the batting order from the leadoff spot. The Yankees had asked him to be their primary option at the top of the order for a good chunk of the season, but they are getting tremendous value from him at the bottom of the lineup. Over the last 15 days, which includes 55 at-bats, Volpe is hitting .364/.375/.655, with four homers, nine RBIs, 13 strikeouts, and four stolen bases.
The Yankees are Getting Better Results From Volpe
On the season, Volpe has 10 homers, hitting .259 with a .308 OBP and a 101 wRC+. He’s hovering around a league-average hitter, but that’s all the Yankees need from him during his second season. Offer a bit of power and make quality contact; that recipe will help him develop into a competent player for a long time.
Volpe tends to struggle with men in scoring position, hitting just .187 across 75 at-bats this year, collecting 17 strikeouts. Volpe manages to have better numbers towards the bottom of the order, hitting .242 in the lead-off spot but no worse than .276 batting sixth or lower.
Offensively, he ranks below average in nearly every category aside from whiff rate. His slugging metrics are quite low, ranking in just the 20th percentile in xSLG, 24th percentile in average exit velocity, and 18th in barrel percentage. Ideally, Volpe would start to improve those numbers over time, but he may build a career as a contact option who puts the ball in play and utilizes his speed.
Defensive is his Specialty
The 23-year-old makes a significant impact defensively. This season, he’s played 982.1 innings at shortstop, posting a .973 fielding percentage with four defensive runs saved and 13 outs above average. He ranks second in OAA, only behind superstar Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals. He will go down as one of the best defensive shortstops the Yankees have ever had when all is said and done, but there’s plenty of room to grow in multiple areas.
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At least the Yankees are getting a surge in slugging from the young infielder when they needed it most, helping to snap the team out of a lengthy cold streak.