Though it has become something of a shorthand explanation around Yankees camp for the offensive tweaks that are still a work in progress, Anthony Volpe winces ever so slightly when he hears the phrase “flat bat path.”

Volpe says he is spending his spring working on eliminating an uppercut from his swing in order to do more damage on high heat as he gets closer to his second season as a major league shortstop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I know the strike zone and what pitches I can handle well,” Volpe remarked prior to the Yankees’ Sunday 9–8 victory against Atlanta at George M. Steinbrenner Field. “Last year, I realized that I was doing everything correctly—making the difficult choices, calculating the time, etc.—but you don’t capitalize on opportunities to hit pitches, which is when it got frustrating.

“I simply wanted to position myself so that I feel like I’m doing the right thing when I do earn those pitches.”Volpe actually knew that the vacation wouldn’t be too restful as he stood in the visiting clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium during the Yanks’ final series of the season.

On that day, Volpe declined to acknowledge the accomplishments of his rookie season, which included becoming the first rookie to smash 20 home runs and steal 20 bases for the Bombers and, shortly after, becoming the only shortstop in Yankee history to earn a Gold Glove Award alongside Derek Jeter. Volpe then promised that he will be better in 2024, just as he does now.

He claimed, “I wasn’t living up to what I know I’m capable of.”

The process of getting better started right away and picked up speed when Volpe started putting in more time at the team’s Player Development facility in Tampa, Florida, in January. The Yankees examined footage that appeared to indicate Volpe had developed a power-happy swing path, which they believed hindered him from catching up to high fastballs.

Manager Aaron Boone remarked, “There were times when you could see some muscle in the swing where he’s working uphill and would have trouble covering the top of the strike zone.”The data backs it up. For instance, Volpe hit just.137 with a.260 slugging percentage and a 38 percent strikeout rate on four-seam fastballs in the top third of the strike zone and the two highest zones outside the strike zone. Those pitches had a Major League average of.216, a slugging percentage of.384, and a strikeout rate of 26.8%.

Volpe declared, “I want to be on plane, or on path, with as many pitches as I can.” “Everyone we have, you see, is giving themselves a space to make mistakes, an area of impact to be able to get beat and still get a base hit or have a good swing at it.”With winter modifications that Boone claimed were “apparent the first time we saw him hit,” the early returns are promising thus far.

In 23 Grapefruit League at-bats, Volpe has nine hits (.391), including a double and a triple. These stats are comparable to what he accomplished in the spring of last year, when, just a few weeks before turning 22, he pushed the Yankees to select him as the Opening Day shortstop.

“I think he’s had incredibly consistent at-bats, regardless of the outcome,” Boone remarked. “It seems like there is a discernible shift that will allow for a bit more coverage across the strike zone.”As one of several early-arriving position players, including Aaron Judge and DJ LeMahieu, Volpe claimed that adjustments had already started when he started huddles with new hitting coach James Rowson at the team’s Tampa facility.

To put it simply, Rowson stated, “His bat is in the zone longer, which will allow him to do a little bit more.” “He isn’t giving lifting the ball as much thought. He began to consider low line shots and backspin driving the ball more. He can utilize the entire field thanks to his swing route, therefore it definitely helps him.

Boone would want to see Volpe walk more often than the 52 times he did in 601 plate appearances during the previous season, even though Volpe stated he is not setting any statistical targets for the campaign. That could lead to a rise in the batting order given his improved on-base percentage (.283 from the previous season).

“I simply believe that I could have positioned myself better last year,” Volpe remarked. “I’m really appreciative that I went through that and was able to overcome it and continue working on it. Though I had to learn the hard way and believe everything happens for a reason, I believe I’m in a better place now.