New York Yankees rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe is having the best streak of his career, and he may have some chicken parmigiana and an old friend to thank.
It was reported on June 14 that Volpe had identified an adjustment he wanted to make to his batting stance, and it happened while having chicken parmigiana for dinner with former minor league teammate Austin Wells.
Up to that point, Volpe was having a very difficult first season hitting in the major leagues, hitting just .186 with a .260 on-base percentage and .345 slugging percentage.
Despite that, the Yankees remained committed to Volpe as their starting shortstop, a job that raises high expectations given Derek Jeter’s Hall of Fame career there, not to mention Didi Gregorious became a fan favorite by right. own after Jeter’s retirement.
However, since that dinner with Wells, Volpe has turned things around. He has a .314/.415/.564 slash line, four doubles, one home run, six walks and a .929 OPS in 12 games (h/t Jomboy Media). Volpe leads the entire Yankees lineup in batting average, OPS and walk rate over that span.
With his home run on June 21 against the Seattle Mariners, Volpe also became one of five rookies in Yankee history, and the first since Alfonso Soriano, to have at least 10 home runs and 15 stolen bases in a season. , according to FOX Sports Research.
In other words, it looks like Volpe has turned his rookie season around and is finally starting to live up to the lofty expectations of Yankee fans by taking to heart the words of another famous athlete: “Chicken Parm, you taste so good.“
Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
