Anthony Volpe lost his 21-game hitting streak, which had put him into select company, a little over halfway through the Yankees’ West Coast trip.
But it didn’t take a stat putting him in the same sentence as Joe DiMaggio to prove what kind of impact Volpe has been making on the Yankees while continuing to take a step forward in his second year in the big leagues.
“He’s playing like a stud on both sides of the ball,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Just turning into a really special player.”
Aaron Judge and Juan Soto garnered most of the attention during the 10-day, nine-game trip through California in which the Yankees went 7-2 to enter Monday with the best record in baseball.
Anthony Volpe has hit .324 for the Yankees across the last 25 games.Robert Sabo for the NY Post
But the hitter in front of them was right in the thick of things as well, as Volpe consistently produced from the top of the lineup to stay hot.
The 23-year-old shortstop capped off the trip by going 2-for-5 with a clutch RBI triple that helped fuel the Yankees’ ninth-inning comeback win over the Giants on Sunday.
“I just wanted to have a good at-bat, get a pitch I could handle and pass it on to Soto and Judge and the rest of the guys,” Volpe said. “Simple approach.”
It is one that has paid major dividends for Volpe.
Over his past 25 games, Volpe is batting .324 with a .890 OPS and four triples.
On the season, through 60 games, he is batting .284 with a .792 OPS.
He got off to a blazing start in the first two-plus weeks, then cooled off for about three weeks, but has now spent the better part of nearly the last month providing steady production for a lineup that is clicking.
“He’s using the whole field — that’s the No. 1 thing that jumps off the chart,” Judge said. “That’s what I saw in all the videos when he was coming up through the minor leagues is gap to gap, have a little pop to the pull side and to the opposite field.
“Finally starting to see that this year where it doesn’t matter if there’s two strikes, first pitch of the game. He’s driving the ball up the middle, driving it to the right side, doing it with guys on base.
He starts the party for us at the top.”
Anthony Volpe reacts after hitting a double for the Yankees on May 19.Corey Sipkin for the NY Post
The Yankees already have two of the best players in the game in Judge and Soto.
But Volpe has joined them in the top 10 in fWAR through the first two-plus months of the season.
Judge was first at 4.0, Soto second at 3.9, and Volpe just behind Shohei Ohtani in eighth at 2.8.
And Judge thinks there may still be more to come.
“I think he’s still improving,” Judge said. “He’s still getting better as the season’s going on. As he gets more at-bats under his belt, he’s going to continue to improve. … When he uses the whole field and he uses his speed, he is one of the best shortstops in the game. We’re lucky to have him and I’m happy he’s hitting in front of Juan and I.”
While his 21-game hitting streak ended Thursday — he had become only the second Yankee to have a hitting streak of at least 20 games at the age of 23 or younger, joining DiMaggio — Volpe still has a career-high 29-game on-base streak that is matched only by Judge.
And after winning a Gold Glove as a rookie last season, Volpe’s defense has continued to improve.
Anthony Volpe has also continued to impress with his defense for the Yankees.Noah K. Murray for the NY Post
It was on full display in Wednesday’s win over the Angels, when he made a diving play to his right and fired a one-hop throw to Anthony Rizzo for the out to help Luis Gil get through an inning.
“Man, he’s been tremendous,” Gil said through an interpreter. “When you look at the way he’s playing baseball right now, he’s making things happen in the box and defensively, wow. He’s doing everything right.”
Source : nypost.com
