HOUSTON — Growing up a Yankees fan in Watchung, New Jersey, Anthony Volpe idolized Derek Jeter. So it was customary for Volpe to practice the former captain’s signature jump throw from shortstop.
“Probably every time I have taken ground balls,” Volpe said when asked how often he practiced the play as a kid.
On Saturday, the Yankees’ 22-year-old shortstop had the chance to imitate the play in a game when the Astros’ Mauricio Dubón hit a ball toward the hole. Volpe, ranging to his backhand side, threw as his feet left the ground. The toss just beat Dubón to first base.
While fans in the Bronx have seen more extreme versions of the play over the years, Aaron Boone connected the dots between Volpe and Jeter after the game, a 5-4 Yankees win.
“Took a page out of his guy’s book,” the manager said. “Jeets was his guy, so I’m sure he’s seen that a lot in his mind and in his dreams. It was a really good play with a good runner. But he continues to just be super special on defense for us.”
Boone went on to say that Volpe deserves to be “right smack in the middle of the Gold Glove conversation.”
The rookie’s defense, in terms of award worthiness, has drawn mixed reviews, depending on the stat. As of Sunday morning, Volpe ranked 21st among shortstops in Fielding Run Value (3) and 13th in the Outs Above Average (4), according to Baseball Savant.
But Volpe ranked third at his position in Defensive Runs Saved (15), trailing only the Rays’ Wander Franco (17) and the Cubs’ Dansby Swanson (15), per FanGraphs. The next closest American League player was Houston’s Jeremy Peña, who ranked eighth (4).
FanGraphs also ranked Volpe 10th in Ultimate Zone Rating (0.6), where he’s well behind Franco, Toronto’s Bo Bichette and, to a lesser extent, Peña and Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. Volpe was 12th in the site’s Defensive Runs Above Average metric (6.6).
Volpe’s 12 errors — seventh-most at his position — could ding him when it comes to awards voting, even if there are better ways to evaluate defense. Of all the names mentioned in this article, only Peña had more entering play on Sunday.
With that said, Volpe’s defense has certainly been better than anticipated, especially for a first-year shortstop. He could get come Gold Glove consideration, even if he’s not a favorite for the hardware.
“I don’t know if I expected it to be this good,” Boone said. “But it is. He’s a difference-maker out there.”
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