World Series: Yankees' Anthony Volpe having another dream come true against Dodgers
Yankees' Anthony Volpe speaks during World Series media day on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
LOS ANGELES — Imagine being Anthony Volpe on the eve of this World Series.
Fulfill a childhood dream by playing for the Yankees? Done.
Starting shortstop, like his idol Derek Jeter? Check.
And now Volpe is in the Fall Classic, four wins away from punching his ticket to the Canyon of Heroes, where he stood 15 years ago, cheering those Yankees as they rolled up Broadway with the Commissioner’s Trophy in tow.
Earlier this week, that photo of an 8-year-old Volpe, wearing a Yankees’ hat and hoodie, hanging with his parents, surfaced on social media. Like everything else involving the New Jersey kid, he was destined for this.
“It’s a funny picture,” Volpe said. “My teeth have gotten a lot straighter since. But I do remember a lot of things about that team, and that day. It’s cool to have it documented.”
Friday’s Game 1 starter Gerrit Cole had his Yankees’ pedigree stamped long before he signed the nine-year, $324 million deal that finally put him in pinstripes. Raised in upstate New York, Cole stood at the podium for that news conference and produced the childhood sign he once held up as a young fan in the Bronx: “YANKEE FAN TODAY TOMORROW FOREVER.”
Not unlike Volpe’s upbringing — only the kid shortstop didn’t take the detour through UCLA, Pittsburgh and Houston before showing up in the Bronx. When asked Friday by a reporter if he could name the Yankees’ 2009 lineup, Volpe went right down the list, without a pause.
And the way Volpe’s playing this October, some future Yankee could be saying the same about him a few decades from now. He entered the World Series hitting .310 (9-for-29) with a .459 on-base percentage, and is just the second Yankee in the last 28 years to reach base in his first nine career playoff games. Volpe seems totally unfazed by the pressure uptick, on the sport’s brightest stage, a trait that he’s unflinchingly displayed throughout his early career. But is there a different reason for the numbers this October?
“Not necessarily approach-wise,” Volpe said. “I feel like maybe some little adjustments with my swing has allowed me to get better results. But I think with all the preparation, and being able to see pitchers a lot, you kind of have better ideas of how they pitch you and attack you.”
Volpe’s production is way up, partly due to cutting his regular-season chase rate by more than half, down to 12.5% for these playoffs. He’s drawn eight walks and whiffed six times this month. During the season, Volpe had 156 strikeouts, compared to 42 walks. When asked if this version is more like he envisions himself, Vole replied, “definitely, yeah.” Those who study him every day would agree.
“He’s continuing to learn, right?” said Yankees hitting coach James Rowson. “So Volpe has taken all those experiences, the ups and downs, the good parts of the year, the times where pitchers made adjustments against him, and he struggled a little bit and then he had to make adjustments back.
“Now, I think in this postseason, we’re seeing what happens when all that comes together. Ultimately, he’s going to be a really good hitter in this league. The guy we’re seeing right now is the guy he is — and he’s still learning. He’s still going to get better.”
Consider this part of the upward trajectory of Volpe’s learning curve: He arrived on Opening Day two years ago as the next Derek Jeter, but understandably has labored to shoulder those sky-high expectations.
Sure, Volpe won the ’23 Gold Glove — he’s a finalist again — but the offensive side has been slower to develop, hitting .209 with a .283 on-base percentage his rookie year that jumped to .243 and .293, respectively, this season. All along, manager Aaron Boone repeatedly explains those struggles by citing Volpe’s age, which is a fair assessment. Baseball’s a hard game, and experience is priceless.
Still, Volpe is the first Yankee to hit 30 or more homers and steal a minimum of 50 bases in his first two seasons, and just the 12th player in MLB history to do so. This year, Volpe was one of only nine players to play 160-plus games, joining three other top shortstops: MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr., Willy Adames and Elly De La Cruz.
And yet, Volpe doesn’t look the least bit tired. As for his regular-season fluctuations, the best method to wipe those away is to shine in the playoffs, as any true Yankee is measured. And by those standards, Volpe is earning his pinstripes this month.
“He’s continued to upload all this information that he’s learning in his first couple yers in the big leagues,” Rowson said. “And look at the stage he’s on this postseason, going through it the first time, and what he’s been able to do, the confidence that’s going to continue to bring him.
“His at-bats are consistent, his focus is there, and we see the talent. He’s a tough out every time he goes up there and he’s dangerous. The sky’s the limit with Volpe.”
Then again, Volpe’s been planning for this his entire life. Or as much as you can script a dream that keeps coming true.
“After the ALCS, my mom was trying to like pinch me, and help me realize it,” Volpe said, smiling. “Hopefully, once we win it, everything will sink in. But it’s been a wild ride up to this point.”
One that could take Volpe back to the Canyon of Heroes in another week.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
