Volpe’s Hitting Under the Microscope
There is no doubt that Yankees’ top prospect Anthony Volpe is having an exciting rookie season. On August 31st, he became the 15th rookie and first Yankees rookie to have 20 homeruns and 20 steals in a season - and the first Yankees shortstop to do so since Derek Jeter in 2004.
However, watching Volpe this season made me aware that his performance is more dependent on the count he is in compared to the average hitter. Let’s dig into the numbers and see how he can improve this.
Photo Credit: Brad Penner/USA TODAY
What Went Wrong with Bader?
After the Yankees’ 3-1 win over the Mariners on June 20th, Harrison Bader’s OPS was at a more than respectable .801, through 98 PAs and 407 pitches seen. However, as of Aug 28th, Bader’s OPS is down to .649. There’s no doubt that the former NL Gold Glove award winner has had a difficult stretch over the past 204 PAs and 718 pitches seen. In fact, Bader’s pitches per plate appearance dropped from 4.15 in the first stretch to 3.52 in the latter stretch. On August 29th, the Yankees placed Bader on waivers.
So what happened to Bader this season? And how can he turn his performance around? To answer this, let’s take a deep look into the numbers.
Photo credit: AP Photo/Noah K. Murray