ANTHONY VOLPE'S TAKING ON THE LION SHARE OF THE YANKEE OFFENSE

 

Source: Charles Wenzelberg

I am loving watching these Yankee "dawgs" this season. They are truly dawgs...running with conviction, hitting from both sides of the plate, going deep in the counts and just pure hitting. There is hustle, there is pep in their step, and they are showing everyone who's boss. I want to highlight one of the keys of the Yankees' successful opening week—Anthony Volpe. Even though he's the Fox, Volpe is certainly taking on the Lion share of the Yankee offense. And he is just so much fun to watch.

“I just feel like I’m setting myself up to cover a lot of different pitches, different speeds, different locations,” Volpe said after going 4-for-4 with two doubles, two runs and an RBI in Monday's win against the Diamondbacks. “I can kind of match up. I have confidence that where I’m landing and where I’m getting to is going to help me back up my approach,” reported The New York Post. 

Confidence. Having it is so critical. And with confidence comes other skills. For instance, not only is Volpe leading with his bat, he has speed on the bases and he can hustle. In Monday's win, Volpe motored from first base with some heads up baserunning to score the Yankees third run of the night. He is just having fun out there knowing that his off-season work is paying off on the field.

“I think it’s definitely the swing adjustments he’s made,” Boone said. “Certainly, the experience and his aptitude, baseball IQ. But swing-and-miss was an issue for him last year. As I’ve talked about since early in the spring, you can clearly see he’s worked hard to plug some holes that the league exposed a little bit at times last year,” reported The Post.

Following an amazing pitching performance by Luis Gil, whose fastball touched 100 mph, the Bombers are having their best start in 32 years. And they are doing it as a team—up and down the lineup and across the field from pitching to incredible field work. They are fun to watch and for Volpe, it is not only exciting but affirming. Hard work pays off, Anthony. Keep grinding. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof