HOUSTON — Growing up a Yankees fan in Watchung, New Jersey, Anthony Volpe idolized Derek Jeter. So it was customary for Volpe to observe the previous captain’s signature leap throw from shortstop.
“Probably every time I have taken ground balls,” Volpe stated when requested how usually he practiced the play as a child.
On Saturday, the Yankees’ 22-year-old shortstop had the possibility to mimic the play in a sport when the Astros’ Mauricio Dubón hit a ball towards the opening. Volpe, ranging to his backhand facet, threw as his toes left the bottom. The toss simply beat Dubón to first base.
While followers within the Bronx have seen extra excessive variations of the play through the years, Aaron Boone related the dots between Volpe and Jeter after the sport, a 5-4 Yankees win.
“Took a page out of his guy’s book,” the supervisor stated. “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 protection, when it comes to award worthiness, has drawn combined critiques, relying on the stat. As of Sunday morning, Volpe ranked twenty first amongst shortstops in Fielding Run Value (3) and thirteenth within the Outs Above Average (4), in accordance with Baseball Savant.
But Volpe ranked third at his place in Defensive Runs Saved (15), trailing solely the Rays’ Wander Franco (17) and the Cubs’ Dansby Swanson (15), per FanGraphs. The subsequent closest American League participant was Houston’s Jeremy Peña, who ranked eighth (4).
FanGraphs additionally ranked Volpe tenth in Ultimate Zone Rating (0.6), the place he’s nicely behind Franco, Toronto’s Bo Bichette and, to a lesser extent, Peña and Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. Volpe was twelfth within the website’s Defensive Runs Above Average metric (6.6).
Volpe’s 12 errors — seventh-most at his place — might ding him with regards to awards voting, even when there are higher methods to judge protection. Of all of the names talked about on this article, solely Peña had extra coming into play on Sunday.
With that stated, Volpe’s protection has definitely been higher than anticipated, particularly for a first-year shortstop. He might get come Gold Glove consideration, even when he’s not a favourite for the {hardware}.
“I don’t know if I expected it to be this good,” Boone stated. “But it is. He’s a difference-maker out there.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com