The New York Yankees are hoping their 2024 campaign will be better than it was in 2023, and a guy who could play a big role in their success is Anthony Volpe. Volpe won the starting shortstop job in Spring Training last year, and now that he has the job for himself, Aaron Judge offered an interesting stance on how he thinks it will impact his mindset this upcoming season.
Despite winning the job last year, Volpe endured a rocky rookie campaign (.209 BA, 21 HR, 60 RBI, 24 SB, .666 OPS), which was a tough pill for New York to swallow. But with there being no question who will be starting at shortstop this season, Judge thinks that freedom will help Volpe attack Spring Training in a different way this time around.
“I always approached every spring like I was fighting for my job, whether I was an All-Star the year before or not. I think [Volpe] is going to have the same mindset. Even though he had success last year and he won a Gold Glove, he’s always trying to improve. There may be a little different mindset where you’re not on your toes as much going through every single drill and you can work on what you need to work on, but I think he still wants to go out there and perform because there’s always somebody coming for his job.” – Aaron Judge, MLB.com
Aaron Judge hoping Anthony Volpe can continue to grow for the Yankees
Judge knows what it’s like to have pressure on your shoulders in Spring Training when you are engaged in a position battle for a starting job, and he believes that could have impacted Volpe at times in 2023. Even though he won the job, he still had people looking over his shoulder all season long, and that’s tough to endure, especially when you are a rookie in the majors.
While that doesn’t necessarily mean Volpe is completely safe from his struggles this season, the fact that he got through last season, despite his ups-and-downs, and still has the job, should take a weight off his shoulders. Judge encouraged the youngster to not take his foot off the gas pedal, but it wouldn’t necessarily be a surprise to see Volpe breakout in his second year in the league.
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