"Improvements across the board" - MLB insider praises Yankees' star Anthony Volpe's ascension in Year 2
Anthony Volpe has almost been a different hitter this year for the New York Yankees. He's moved into the leadoff spot and really turned a new leaf on his offense. Last year, Volpe showed promise and had spurts of good hitting, but was ultimately disappointing. One MLB analyst pointed out just how much better he's been this season.
Analyst Jon Morosi said:
"It really starts with Volpe in so many ways. Actually, last night after the game, Juan Soto said that Volpe can be a great leadoff hitter. He used the word great. You think about Soto playing with Trea Turner, that's some high praise.
"The numbers back it up, how often Volpe has been on base... Improvements across the board. Ninth-largest drop in MLB in whiff percentage."
Volpe's ascension may have solved the Yankees' leadoff problem and given them another fearsome hitter. He's been a big part of their red-hot start in 2024.
How much better has Anthony Volpe been?
The defense in 2023 was great from Anthony Volpe, and it won him a Gold Glove. The offense was sporadic, though a 20/20 season is very good from a rookie. However, a sub-100 wRC+ is not good. Nor was his 27.8 K%.
Everything has improved this year. His wRC+ is up from 84 to 116. His K rate is down to 21.1.%. His walk rate is up from 8.7% to 11.4%. That matters a lot when he's hitting in front of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge.
The traditional metrics are way up as well. He's jumped 43 batting average points, 65 on-base points while keeping the slugging percentage roughly the same. He's still hitting for roughly the same power, but contact and on-base are up as well.
The baserunning and defense are also good as always. After 15 defensive runs saved in 1,346.2 innings of work in 2023, he already has four DRS in just 330 innings. That's on pace for a better year than his Gold Glove-winning season.
So while the offense has a major boost, his defense hasn't suffered. In fact, it has gotten better as well. The future is bright at shortstop in the Bronx, something that hasn't been true since the days of Derek Jeter.