The hype around Anthony Volpe when he first entered the league was tangible. The Yankees were able to find a quality, and beloved, shortstop to succeed Derek Jeter in Didi Gregorius, but ever since Gregorius’ decline, the team’s future at the crucial infield position has been in doubt. After short-lived experiments with Gleyber Torres and Isiah Kiner-Falefa starting up the middle, Volpe’s ascension made it clear that the team finally had a long-term plan for shortstop

Since last season, when the young New York native made his debut in the Bronx, it hasn’t been the easiest for him in the batter’s box. In 2023 especially, it was obvious there were plenty of growing pains for Volpe, evidenced by his .209 batting average and almost 28 percent strikeout rate, leading to a wRC+ of 84. He’s had his ups and downs at the plate in 2024, too. But the one thing that has remained consistent is his defense.

Volpe won the Gold Glove in 2023 (somewhat controversially due to Bobby Witt Jr.’s emergence at the shortstop position for the Kansas City Royals), and he has not only continued to have a positive impact on the left side of the middle infield, but he’s morphed into one of the most complete defenders in the game.

As far as the numbers go, they have been a fan of Volpe’s work through 114 games. He sits seventh in defensive runs saved (DRS) among shortstops, but outs above average (OAA) is where he really shines, finding his way to seventh among all major leaguers, and second behind only Witt Jr. for American League shortstops. In fact, his defensive value has been so good that he sits tied for 14th in total fWAR for all MLB players, ahead of big shortstop names like Willy Adames and Corey Seager.

The interesting thing about Volpe’s numbers, though, especially when looking at his outs above average splits, is that there isn’t a huge difference between the plays he makes on balls that are hit in different directions. Dansby Swanson, for example, finds all of his success on balls that force him to come in on it, like this one:

Swanson has 11 of his 14 outs above average on balls that force him to run in on them, and the other three come from balls hit to his left. But on balls that are hit to his right, he finds a value of zero sitting next to his name, and on balls that require him to move backward, he sits with a value of -1.

The same can be said for Witt Jr., who is tied for first in MLB with Marcus Semien at 16 OAA. However, according to the splits, he is weak on certain plays. On balls that are in, he has a value of four OAA. On balls that are hit to his right, he has an impressive 10 OAA. Even when moving back, his final value at this juncture is positive, with a total of two, but when it comes to plays to his right, Witt struggles and sits with a value of -1, too.

Here are a couple of plays to Witt Jr.’s right that showcase just how valuable he is in these situations, both in the same inning against the Chicago White Sox:

What makes Volpe such a fun case study in the field isn’t just that he makes highlight plays pretty regularly or that he flashes top-end range, but the fact that he’s so consistent when it comes to moving in, out, back, to the left, or to the right.

Volpe’s 13 OAA speaks for itself. There are areas in which he excels, like moving in (5 OAA) and moving to his left (6 OAA), but both moving to his right and moving backward have positive values as well, sitting at one OAA each. In fact, he is the only shortstop in the top 20 of OAA rankings who doesn’t have at least one negative or zero OAA value for one of the movements specified within the stat.

Here’s a look at Volpe moving to his right:

And now to his left:

And here’s a great one showcasing Volpe moving to his right and using his arm strength to get the out at first:

As he was being scouted (both publicly and privately), many were concerned about specific parts of Volpe’s defensive game, particularly his arm strength and the potential that it might hold him back from being an elite defensive shortstop. However, not only has he blossomed into one of the best defensive shortstops in the league, but he has smoothed out any weaknesses on the dirt. With the other side of the Yankee middle infield struggling on defense at times, it’s nice to have a consistent presence that can be relied on no matter what the play calls for.

Whether or not he will win the Gold Glove is up for debate, but Volpe’s value defensively cannot be overstated. At one of the most rigorous defensive positions in the game, his consistent excellence stands out.