The secret behind Anthony Volpe's base-stealing prowess

May 2024 · 4 minute read

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Anthony Volpe has quickly injected some youth and energy into the Yankees.

Emphasis on “quickly.”

The young shortstop had tallied three steals through his first four career games, impressing everywhere on the field but perhaps the most on the basepaths.

Volpe is fast, but he is not a speed demon. He gains advantages by reading pitchers and being well-practiced at mastering baserunning in the pitch-clock era.

Last season, Volpe stole 50 bases between Double- and Triple-A, which adopted the pitch timer before it was brought to the majors.

“It’s one of the things he’s excellent at. He’s an elite base runner,” manager Aaron Boone said recently. “He’s not a burner — he’s got good speed — but he’s just a special base runner. Does his homework, stays under control, and then does run well.

“He’s the real deal on the basepaths.”

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The 21-year-old uses a different approach, staying fairly close to the bag until he believes the pitcher will throw home.

Then he takes a large slide-step toward the next base, using the momentum to launch into a full sprint as the pitcher delivers to the plate.

Volpe, who went 50-for-57 in steals last season, credited the coaching in the Yankees’ system for the method.

“It’s just a technique-based thing,” Volpe said before the Yankees played the Phillies in The Bronx on Tuesday. “I’m not the fastest guy in the world. But just to kind of make the math work on the pitcher’s delivery and catcher’s release — I’m trying to pick my spots to give myself the best opportunity to be safe at second.”

Volpe’s aggressiveness comes with the obvious advantage of a Yankees base runner getting closer to scoring, but there are tangential benefits, too.

In Sunday’s win over the Giants, Volpe’s presence on first base was a concern for San Francisco’s Sean Hjelle, who then threw a wild pitch that advanced Volpe to second.

When Volpe has been on first, the pitcher’s attention has not fully been on the batter.

“It seems like he’s one of those guys that every time he gets on base, he’s looking to make something happen, so you can kind of feel it,” said Yankees reliever Ron Marinaccio, who is familiar with pesky base runners. “When he gets on base, I’m sure the pitcher can feel it. He’s taking a little bit of the focus off of the batter, and he’s playing a role right there.”

Boone has been batting Volpe ninth not just to take pressure off the rookie but to position the New Jerseyan as another leadoff hitter.

If Volpe’s legs can steal some attention from opposing pitchers, who should be lasered in on DJ LeMahieu or Aaron Judge, maybe the pitcher will miss location.

“Whether [Volpe’s presence] results in gaining a base in a stolen base or maybe just a little bit of attention not poured into the pitch … which hopefully lends itself to [the pitcher] potentially making more mistakes,” Boone said. “Hopefully all that adds up to something that is good for us.”

The Yankees have not had a threat like Volpe in his lifetime. The last Yankee to steal 50 bases was Rickey Henderson, who nearly doubled that total (93) in 1988.

The last Yankee with 40 stolen bases was Brett Gardner, who swiped 49 in 2011.

Of course, the new rules and bigger bases encourage more running, with MLB wanting more action in games.

Yankees base runners had stolen six bases in their first four games, which was the team’s most in the first four games of a season since 1990.

Volpe, who said the situation will dictate how aggressive he is on the bases, does not have a goal in mind for how many steals he finishes with.

“I think if the opportunity presents itself, I want to try and take advantage,” Volpe said. “I think if I just stay calm, stay patient and not push the envelope too much … over the course of a long season, I can take advantage.”

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