The Pinstripe rookie hitter, Anthony Volpe, may become the center of attraction in the forthcoming regular season with his attention-grabbing bounce-back. Coming off a dissatisfying season in 2023, the rookie introduced a few moves in the spring training to prompt everyone to admire his presence on the field.
Spring training barely bears any value to the veterans, but at the same time, it can become a game-changer for rookie athletes. Something similar happened with the now 22-year-old hitter, who never removed gloves after identifying his shortcomings in the previous season. Yes, we are talking about Volpe, who comes out of his cocoon following his off-season training.
Volpe is set to prove himself
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The 22-year-old introduced his robust return on Thursday’s match, where he pistoned a 105.2 MPH liner into the left-center field gap, shooting into a second base for a hustle double. Leaving his teammates stunned, he demonstrated his batting qualities in spring training, claiming his permanent position as a shortstop.
It was Volpe in the 2023 season, struggling to stay above .200, and posted an average of .209 and .666 OPS/81 OPS+ to be one of the most enervated rookies. Then comes the September training, observing a slight difference in his performance as he came up with 21 RBIs and a .889 OPS. However, he was never introduced to the phrase ‘give up’ as he continued trying to shape his batting performance.
Compared with the other MLB giants’ rookie hitters, Volpe’s swings were the most dissatisfactory, making him the worst-qualified Yankee in 55 years. But the new season introduces an entirely new shape of Volpe as demonstrated exceptionality to become a comparison with the Cubs, swing role model Nico Hoerner. With the speed he came with this season, he has the power to become the team’s opening-day strength.
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Read More: Anthony Volpe’s Bat Path Optimization Yields High Spring Training Dividends
The Yankees are bracing themselves for the opening day
The Bronx made significant additions to the team and worked on their mound to appear even more substantial. As remarked by DJ LeMahieu after his six seasons with the Yankees, “Going into the season, I think we have the most depth probably since my first year here in 2019,” indicating their unmatched strength.
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As spring training has already commenced and teams are tying their shoelaces to become their opponent’s biggest challenge, the Yankees are also lining up their rare talents. According to the MLB projections, Jose Trevino and Austin Wells will garner the catcher’s line. On the other hand, becoming the powerful shortstop of the team, Anthony Volpe will perfectly set the ground for the outfielders Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo, and Trent Grisham. However, this is just a wild prediction for now, and the reality will hit the ground in a few weeks.
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