Anthony Volpe had a chance to change the game Tuesday night.
With two outs in the top of the eighth and the New York Yankees trailing the Guardians by a run, Volpe stepped in with runners on first and second. He worked the count to 2-2, then swung through an Evan Gaddis slider for strike three — his third consecutive miss, following two fastballs up in the zone.
New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe throws to first base against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field.© David Richard-Imagn Images
Volpe finished the night 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. He wasn’t the only one who came up short in the 3-2 loss, but the moment felt too familiar for Yankees fans — a high-leverage at-bat ending with a swing and miss for the team’s young shortstop.
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That pattern, now in its third season, has only deepened.
Through April 23, Volpe is hitting just .209 with a .310 OBP and a 27.1% strikeout rate, the highest of his career, according to FanGraphs. While he’s walking more (11.5% walk rate, up from 6.1% in 2024), his zone contact rate has dropped to just 73.0%, well below the league average of ~83%, according to Baseball Savant.
He’s missing pitches he used to hit, even in the zone.
Pitchers have adjusted. Volpe’s whiff rate on fastballs has climbed to nearly 30%, and he’s struggled badly against secondary stuff. Entering Wednesday, he was 0-for-13 combined against sliders, curveballs, and changeups, with a whiff rate north of 45% on those pitches
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He is hitting the ball harder. His average exit velocity has jumped to 90.3 mph (up from 87.7 last year), and he’s already posted a 13.8% barrel rate, higher than both his 2023 and 2024 marks combined. The Yankees even gave him the controversial “torpedo bat” to lean into that power. But his line drive rate is down to 15.5%, and his fly ball rate is up to 31.0%, with many of those poorly struck.
Tuesday night’s strikeout wasn’t just a missed chance. It showed clearly the larger problem. Volpe’s swing decisions are better, but the results just are not there.
And for Volpe and the Yankees, they can’t afford to have him missing so much, especially in the big moments.
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