Two Yankees sluggers starting to find their groove

In a successful start to their 2025 campaign, the New York Yankees have seen many big moments and high-scoring games. The Yankees' offense, led by captain Aaron Judge, ranks at or near the top of many team stats.

As a team, the Yankees rank first in runs scored (250), home runs (76), walks (173), on-base percentage (.347) and slugging (.481) while ranking fifth in hits (187) and third in doubles (82) and batting average (.263).

These league-leading numbers come as multiple Yankees have yet to play at their expected level. Two of those players have been looking to rewrite their seasons after unfortunate starts: SS Anthony Volpe and OF/1B Cody Bellinger. 

Through the team's first 20 games, Volpe and Bellinger both were hitting below the Mendoza line at .197 and .173, respectively. 

Before April 19, Volpe's biggest issue was catching up to the fastball. Pitchers would only throw him the heater, and he consistently struggled to keep up. In the 22 games since, Volpe has a batting average of .278 and is getting on base at a .370 clip, raising his average by 43 points to .240. 

All season, the power has been there for Volpe. In his first 20 games, Volpe was slugging at a .423 clip with four home runs. In his last 22 games, that number is only 20 points higher at .443 with only two more long balls. What was initially missing was consistency, and since mid-April, Volpe has been consistent. 

For Bellinger, his season started to turn around at the same time. Before April 23, Bellinger was only hitting .173 and had many questioning his offseason acquisition. In the 18 games since then, Bellinger has been hitting .292 with an OBP of .382, raising his average by 56 points to .229.  

Bellinger's hot streak includes an active 10-game hitting streak. Those 10 games for Bellinger have been even hotter than his previous 18, as the lefty is slashing .316/.381/.500 while hitting two home runs and driving in five runs. 

Volpe and Bellinger turning their struggles into success could take an already mashing Yankees offense to another level, a scary prospect for the rest of the league.