LAKELAND, Fla. — Anthony Volpe doesn’t want to be called flat, but he wants his bat trajectory to take on that characteristic.
After a shaky rookie season offensively, the Yankees shortstop spent the offseason focusing on flattening his swing.
He was so out of shape by the end of last year that it contributed to his struggles, but the Yankees had a noticeable mechanical adjustment early this spring.
“I think he’s just continuing to make adjustments to become a more consistent offensive player,” manager Aaron Boone said Saturday. “I feel like he’s had a really strong winter in that regard. He’s put a lot of work into his swing to be flatter in the strike zone and that allows him to be a little more versatile in the strike zone as well. I look forward to it.”
Volpe’s swing helped him hit 21 home runs in his freshman season, but he hit just .209 with a .666 OPS and 167 strikeouts in 601 at-bats.
A flatter bat trajectory through the zone could allow Volpe to reduce his strikeouts and increase his average with more contact.
“These two are definitely going to be good,” Volpe said after the Yankees’ 22-10 win over the Tigers at Joker Merchant Stadium. “The goal is just to be the hitter I know I can be and the hitter I know I should be. I think the best hitters have a high average and don’t strike out, so that’s the goal. is.”
Volpe showed early results with his tweaked swing Saturday, going 1-for-3 with a hit to center field in the Yankees’ Grapefruit League opener.
“I feel comfortable,” Volpe said. “I’m not thinking about anything, I’m just going out there and playing. That always feels good.”
Boone said Volpe’s flat swing was “obvious” when he first saw Volpe hit at the club’s player development facility over the winter.
He has better posture and doesn’t slump as much in his batting position as he did last year, which allowed his bat to pass through the zone.
Volpe seemed to be settling in at the plate, only to find himself back in tough situations as the league adjusted to him.
“You know, when you’re having a hard time every day. [and] you [22]”He’s a year-old shortstop, and this league is good at finding holes and weaknesses and exploiting them,” Boone said. “To be a good player and really establish yourself, it’s important to be able to make adjustments and plug some of the holes that players take advantage of.”
The same thing may have happened with Volpe being a threat on base. He stole 24 bases (he was caught only five times), becoming the first Yankees rookie to steal a base in a 20-20 season. But 13 of those steals came in his first 41 games, before his threat faded.
Before Volpe took second in the exhibition, Boone said, “I think the league really cracked down on him with his game planning and his speed and being very conscious of him.” “He’s a smart runner, so he was running when he and we felt like he had a good chance of being successful. The amount of stolen bases he got early on was something people didn’t know about him yet.” He’s not just a natural burner. He’s a great base stealer and really knows how to do it, but it takes some jump to achieve his success rate. Is required.”
