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Jorge Castillo, ESPN Staff Writer
NEW YORK — All eyes at Yankee Stadium were on Anthony Volpe a year ago. That’s what happens when a 21-year-old hometown kid breaks camp as the New York Yankees‘ starting shortstop. On Friday, one week into his sophomore season, he was a sidebar for the club’s home opener. Juan Soto, not Volpe, was the newcomer everybody wanted to see. Volpe operated in the background.
If all goes as planned following an offseason of adjustments, Volpe won’t operate there for long.
“I think we’re seeing just a more mature player,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before the Yankees’ 3-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. “Not surprising considering his ability, his talent, work ethic and aptitude.”
The difference in Volpe at the plate from 2023 was immediately evident during spring training. It has already surfaced in different ways early this season, both in his production and in the batter’s box.
On Friday, for example, he got ahead 2-0 in his first plate appearance before stroking a single. He repeated the formula in his final at-bat in the ninth inning. Boone noted the difference over a week ago, during Volpe’s final plate appearance on Opening Day in Houston.
Volpe went down looking on five pitches against Josh Hader, the Astros’ all-world closer, to end the top of the ninth inning. Two of the strikes were borderline, at best. Volpe didn’t chase. Boone was impressed, even if he struck out.
A year ago, chances are Volpe would have. The sequence, Boone noted, represented Volpe’s improvement entering his second major league season.
“I think he looks like a way better hitter,” Boone said. “Period.”
Expectations were high when Volpe broke camp on the Yankees’ Opening Day roster last year. So was the pressure. In the end, the rookie campaign was, by most measures, a success. Volpe won a Gold Glove. He became the first rookie in Yankees history to record a 20-20 season. He played in 159 games — a notable feat for a club ravaged by injuries.
Still, his struggles making contact, magnified by the wave of injuries around him, were impossible to ignore. He batted just .209 — the third-lowest average among qualified major league hitters. His .283 on-base percentage was the second-lowest mark. He compiled a team-high 167 strikeouts.
So, Volpe went to work during the offseason.
“Simplifying a lot of stuff just helps you execute in different ways,” Volpe, now 22, said. “Luckily, we have a lot of really great guys who will help you with the approach so you’re putting yourself in good positions to execute your approach and be picky and be the type of hitter that fits in this lineup. That’s what I’m always trying to do.”
Simplifying stuff started with mechanical adjustments. Volpe’s swing is markedly “flatter” from last year. The goal: to have more coverage throughout the strike zone, particularly against high fastballs. Volpe batted .105 against high fastballs in 2023, second-to-last among qualified hitters, with an uphill swing path. Limiting movement in his upper body was another focus.
“Sometimes when he misses [the barrel],” Yankees hitting coach James Rowson said, “he still hits them hard and stays kind of through the middle.”
The modifications have produced a calmer presence at the plate, and promising numbers, a week into the season. Volpe is batting .409 with a home run and 1.182 OPS in six games. He has six strikeouts to four walks. He’s seen 4.58 pitches per plate appearance, good for first on the Yankees and 13th in the majors entering Friday.
Volpe’s behind-the-scenes efforts resonated with the Yankees’ homegrown franchise player.
“You’re seeing how, at such a young age, he’s able to evaluate his season last year,” Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge said during spring training. “He had the Gold Glove, the 20-20 season, but he was able to take a step back and really evaluate. ‘All right, I need to get better at this, this, and this.’ And then to implement that and work on that in the offseason and bring it to camp, it takes a lot.
“If I was his age, doing what he did, I don’t know if I’d be that real with myself and really sit down and be critical of the situation. That’s mature, way beyond his years.”
Volpe turns 23 later this month. For reference, Judge celebrated his 23rd birthday in Double-A. Two years later, Judge was named American League Rookie of the Year.
“I think everybody always wants to improve once they make some changes,” Judge said. “They want to improve and get better. I think he expects that. I think everybody expects that. I can’t speak for him, but I think he definitely is looking forward to 2024.”
For Volpe, it’s about putting himself in the best position to succeed. An offseason of work has improved his chances to do so, to inflict damage more consistently. On Friday, he returned to Yankee Stadium a slightly different hitter from a year ago, ready to continue making strides in front of his home crowd.
“I don’t play for the outside expectations or anything,” Volpe said. “So, regardless of what it is, I feel like I hold myself to a high standard, and I’m just going to work and prepare and live up to that.”
He’s on his way.