Revisiting Volpe's Hitting Mechanics

By Andy Singer

November 6th, 2024

Photo Credit: Noah K. Murray, NY Post

The season is over, and we're officially on to all of our usual offseason topics. We all hoped that we'd get to relax in the glory of a long awaited World Series win, but unfortunately, life doesn't always bring us what we want. While I had fun this season, one of the season's more frustrating developments was Anthony Volpe's complete offensive stall. Many had very high hopes for Anthony Volpe after both his "post-chicken parm game performance" last season and an offseason during which he rebuilt his swing, but the reality of this season is that Volpe actually regressed offensively.

Heading into the third season of his career, Anthony Volpe is at a crossroads. Without significant improvement, it's reasonable to wonder whether the Yankees will look for a new option at SS. Anthony Volpe hit just .243/.293/.364, which was ever-so-slightly better by OPS+ beyond raw contact, Volpe was worse at the plate in almost every other measurable way. Volpe went long stretches during which he couldn't buy a walk in 2024, and his power, one of the few positives to take away from his 2023 season, evaporated in somewhat stunning fashion. Volpe may have made more contact, whiffed a bit less, and struck out less, but the trade-off was far from appealing, as Volpe made far weaker contact and struggled to draw walks to use his speed.

If there was a glimmer of hope for Volpe's offense, it came during the playoffs, as he batted .286/.407/.408, with an .815 OPS, and a 16.9% walk rate in an admittedly miniscule sample size of 59 plate appearances. Unnamed members of the Yankee front office were even quoted in various publications saying that they knew Volpe had far more in the tank than he showed during the regular season. Given that assertion, it bears the question: who is the real Anthony Volpe? Is he a light-hitting shortstop who gets to a ton of balls with a below-average arm and a limp bat, or is he something more?

I, for one, believed I was wrong about Volpe. When he was drafted, I compared Volpe to Cito Culver: a nice local story who didn't deserve to be a first round pick on talent alone. As I evaluated Volpe through his time in the minors, I believed that my initial evaluation was wrong, and I gave Volpe a ton of credit for his ability to adapt and change for the better. He has stalled out terribly at the MLB level, and it's up to the coaching staff to determine why, and establish appropriate corrective action. They have failed in that task so far, but we've seen a variety of mechanical adjustments from Volpe in that time. I detailed many of those trials and tribulations last season. If you haven't read that article, I highly recommend doing so, even as a refresher, because more mechanical changes have been afoot.

I have been on the record as saying that I strongly disliked the direction that Volpe went with his mechanics this season, and others close to the game agreed. Again, the question remains: does Volpe possess the ability that many dreamed of just two and change years ago? The answer to that lies in mechanical analysis that is illuminating.

I am of the opinion that Volpe's playoff performance was no accident. Volpe again tweaked his mechanics for the better. To summarize my previous posts, I believed that Volpe needed to rediscover mechanics that allowed him to sit deeper on his back leg, align the bat with his shoulder line, and load his hands deeper towards his back shoulder, all of which I identified in the article linked above. His mechanical shifts to make more contact early in the season were largely the antithesis of my prescription at the end of last summer.

Here is what Volpe looked like as his swing was loaded during the first series of the season in 2024:

If you drew a straight line through the angle of Volpe's bat, it would create a significant angle with Volpe's shoulder line as he loads the bat prior to the pitch's delivery. Volpe takes a healthy stride and leg lift, but he gets less hip flexion than he did in the previous season. Most critically, his lead elbow remains low, which creates excess movement as the pitch is being delivered. There is very little chance Volpe can do damage to hittable pitches with these mechanics and without plus-plus tools at the plate. For reference, I want to see alignment between the angle of the bat and the shoulders, good hip flexion with a leg kick, and a lifted elbow to create good shoulder tilt prior to the swing. None of those mechanics are present as Volpe loads here, and those features were present in his swing throughout the season.

Now, here's the loading of his swing on the grand slam during the World Series:

Can you see the difference?!? Volpe is loaded deeper onto his back leg, as you can see a deeper squat as compared to the above photo from April. Volpe's bat is in nearly parallel alignment with his shoulders, which is absolutely ideal. His hips are loaded a few degrees more away from the pitcher, giving him power. Lastly, his elbow is higher, giving him a better load and less movement before the pitch arrives.

Now for some transparency; I cheated a bit. The full load comes after the pitch has been released from the hand; here's what that looked like:

Sigh. The elbow drops and the bat lifts again. Volpe remains loaded more, and he's still in a better position to do damage, but it's not as ideal as when he began his load. His early, contact-oriented mechanical changes didn't work, but this is still closer to what Volpe did with great success at AAA.

It's better, but not perfect. This is the best I've seen Volpe look:

He had a deep squat on his backside; his hands are fully loaded, with his elbow up higher; his hips are really loaded; and his bat is in perfect alignment with his shoulders as the pitch is released. Additionally, his front arm is cocked more fully back, giving Volpe a simpler path to the ball.

Volpe has proved he can make mechanical changes; unfortunately, most of his changes in 2024 were as wrong as wrong gets, and I said so every chance I got. The playoffs in 2024 proved that Volpe can make the necessary changes, but the Yankees need to commit more fully. Contact is not the be-all, end-all; that has never been Volpe's game, and at his best, his hit tool grades out at 50 on the 20-80 scale; the bright side is that he can be patient (as the playoffs and his minor league record proves), and he has near-50-grade raw power, which translates to 20 homers at shortstop with a fair number of doubles and triples. With the right mechanics, Volpe can access that potential, but the Yankees' coaching staff needs to focus more on the individual player in front of them and not the guy they hope for at the top of the lineup. Contact sounds great, but it's not the only way to be effective. Volpe has proven in the past that he can draw walks and hit for some power. The Yankees and Volpe need to lean into that, because his hit tool is not good enough to become a Luis Arraez-style slap hitter.

Volpe has a path to becoming incredibly valuable. The playoffs were a nice first step, but if 2024 proved anything, it's that my mechanical assessment of Volpe in 2023 was bang-on. Volpe needs a better load, more alignment in his bat and shoulders, and to keep his lead foot from stepping in the bucket. Either opening or closing his stance should solve Volpe's issue with stepping in the bucket, and repetition with the rest of the mechanics should solve the rest. It's time for the Yankees to work with the player they have, not the player others wished they had. There remains a path for Volpe to be valuable offensively, and mechanically, he's fully capable of realizing that potential. His playoff performance at the plate wasn't a fluke if he continues to play to his strengths.