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Is Yankees SS Anthony Volpe starting to turn a corner?
New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe. Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Is Yankees SS Anthony Volpe starting to turn a corner?

It’s been a roller-coaster ride of a season for Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe.

The 24-year-old entered 2025 with expectations that he would take another step forward in his development.

As one of the top prospects in baseball, Volpe's arrival was highly anticipated, and he lived up to the hype, winning the AL Gold Glove Award at shortstop as a rookie. It was much of the same in Year 2, so the hope for Year 3 was a breakout to emerge into a true star. Instead, it's been a bumpy road full of highs and lows.

Volpe had a pretty good start to the campaign, but the summer months have seen things go off the rails. From mid-June to late-July, Volpe's bat went ice cold, and his average plummeted along the way. He is currently hitting .217.

Even more concerning, however, are his struggles at short. Volpe has looked uncomfortable, committing his league-leading 16th error on Wednesday night against Tampa Bay.

As bad as it's been, Volpe does appear to have found his groove swinging the bat. He came into Wednesday's game with five HRs and eight RBI in his past 10 games and slugged another clutch home run to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth inning, taking a pretty good pitch from Rays closer Pete Fairbanks into the seats. The Yankees (59-49) went on to win a 5-4 thriller in 11 innings, in large part thanks to Volpe's bat. 

That home run was his 16th of the season.

Perhaps Volpe finding his power stroke will give him some confidence that translates onto the defensive side.

Color commentator David Cone threw out the idea of Yankees fans giving Volpe a standing ovation to show their support, as Phillies fans did for Trea Turner in 2023. 

That may not be the worst idea in the world from Cone, who is right to mention that, whether they like it or not, Anthony Volpe will remain the starting shortstop for the rest of the season.

Things can turn quickly in professional sports, and that's been the case this year for Volpe. But he still possesses the ability to be a very good major league shortstop. He just needs to get back to playing a simple brand of baseball and not let the outside noise affect him.

Jackson Weber

Jackson Weber is a sports writer with a BComm in Business and Sport Management from the University of Guelph. While he has focused primarily on NHL coverage in recent years, he brings strong knowledge and passion for the NFL, MLB, and NBA. Following all four major leagues year-round, Jackson delivers honest, opinion-driven stories on the biggest topics in sports

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