Young New York Yankees Star’s Hot Start Explained

A young New York Yankees star is fueling the team's rise as one of the best offensive teams in baseball after two weeks.

The New York Yankees have surged back to being one of the best teams in baseball at the plate. Some of that is surely explained by the addition of Juan Soto, the resurgence of Giancarlo Stanton and the unexpected power of Oswaldo Cabrera.

But without Anthony Volpe, you can’t have a full discussion about why the Yankees have hit the ball so well.  

Recently, MLB.com wrote about seven young players, their sizzling starts to the season and whether they’re sustainable. Volpe, the Yankees’ second-year shortstop, made the list. And MLB.com believes his start is sustainable.

Right now, Volpe leads the Yankees in batting average at .372. He’s one of only two Yankees with an OPS of 1.000 or better and in some ways his slash line — .372/.460/.581/1.041 — looks a little better than Soto’s, who is right behind him with a .360 batting average.

Volpe has two home runs and six RBI, while Soto has two home runs and 12 RBI.

Volpe became the first Yankees rookie to have a 20/20 season — 21 home runs and 24 stolen bases. But his batting average — .209 — and other slash numbers didn’t match the power and speed.

Well, at least for the first two weeks of the season, they do. So why is Volpe’s start sustainable?

MLB.com makes the point that Volpe has quickly improved in four key areas that have led to the increase in slash numbers. His whiff rate, his chase rate, his walk rate and his strikeout rate have all improved. In fact, his whiff rate, now 12.2%, is in the 96th percentile of MLB. His walk rate has already taken a big jump, and with a proven ability to steal bases, that makes him more dangerous.

That could be part of the reason why the Yankees moved Volpe to the top of the order in their series finale against Miami on Wednesday. Some may see it as an experiment. The Yankees may see it as their future.