impressing everywhere on the fieldVolpe 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.
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. 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.“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.
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 in 1988.Of course, the new rules and bigger bases encourage more running, with MLB wanting more action in games.