Three reasons why Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe is breaking out

From being relegated to the nine-hole in his rookie year to batting leadoff in his sophomore season, Anthony Volpe is showing us why he might be the real deal. 

The promising shortstop has hit safely in 13 of 16 games this year, batting .373 with six stolen bases in that span. His 1.4 fWAR trails only Mookie Betts and José Altuve. Entering Tuesday's play, Volpe had struck out just once in his past 28 plate appearances. He ranks first in the American League in pitches per plate appearance (4.54). A few months ago, these numbers would've sounded outlandish for the 22-year-old. He looks like a completely different hitter this year — the type of hitter the Yankees knew he could be when they selected him in the first round of the 2019 draft.

Are we seeing early signs of a leap into stardom from Volpe? Though he's certainly playing like one of baseball's best shortstops, only time will tell. For now, let's dissect the three reasons why Volpe is turning heads around the league.

1. He has one of the best strikeout rates in MLB

Volpe's patience at the plate in 2024 has been one of the most encouraging aspects of his game, particularly because he struggled so mightily with pitch selection as a rookie. He finished 2023 with the second-worst on-base percentage (.283) in MLB (among 134 qualified hitters) and the 13th-highest strikeout rate (27.8%). Ahead of this season, the Yankees boasted optimism about Volpe's future in the lineup — generic proclamations like, "He'll turn it around," were declared frequently — but the shortstop is surpassing expectations by breaking out immediately upon the start of his second year.

Volpe entered Tuesday with a 14.3 strikeout percentage, an eye-popping number nearly slashed in half from his K% in