Anthony Volpe Didn't have the most of the season Yankees Fans were hoping for an offense, but the postseason has produced a very different version of the young shortstop. Instead of Volpe, who struggled to do much damage on contact or hit out of the zone on throws, we see a patient hitter making more ferocious attacks at the plate, giving the Yankees a much deeper lineup. With a huge win last night in a 9-7 victory over the Guardians, Volpe continued to shine the most in the Bronx Bombers' biggest games.

Anthony Volpe hit more purposefully than in the regular season and took advantage of the opposing field. He showed signs of being the hitter we all knew he was capable of when he emerged as a top-100 prospect.

The bright lights of October haven't fazed the Yankees' Anthony Volpe

There's been a lot of talk about Anthony Volpe's swing changes over the winter, and while they didn't result in the leap year many were hoping for, there were more reasons for his problems than just his bat path. The swing decision did not improve. He chased about as much as he did last season while swinging in the zone less, resulting in a hitter who is too passive to swing at hittable pitches but not disciplined enough to train walks.

His walk rate dropped from 8.7% to 6.1%, hurting his ability to get on base and virtually negating the improvement in his batting average. Additionally, Volpe's hitting power decreased dramatically, and the Yankees found themselves facing a slaphitter who lacked great discipline and was closer to league average in terms of contact rates. There have been some notable changes in his approach in the postseason, as he appears to allow the ball to travel deeper into the box.

Anthony Volpe swung at just 46.9% of pitches in the zone, but all he did was chase seven rope lengths in October (8.8%), so he was able to go for a lot of walks. His ability to reach base often has helped create turnovers, as the young shortstop finds ways to work the count and force pitchers to throw a strike he can handle. If Volpe does Get his pitch, he holds nothing back.

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When Anthony Volpe sees the ball down low, he can swing out of his shoes with more confidence that he's making contact with the ball, and it also results in plenty of damaging contact. While he bats under .400, Volpe has consistently caused damage on contact and lost many hits to great defensive plays or bad luck. By consistently firing the ball into right field, Volpe was able to spark some late-game turnovers like the one we saw last night.

Perhaps the break between the regular season and postseason helped Anthony Volpe regain some energy and play consistently hard, but this also appears to be a change in approach. The Yankees are one win away from the World Series, a run that has defined them since they won in 2009, and his play in October was crucial to their success.

It's important to hit the ball hard. That's been true since the early days of the sport, and while an eight-game sample size is hardly enough data to predict a player making a sustained leap, it's certainly been an encouraging run for Anthony Volpe. He wasn't able to hit the ball hard And In his two years as a top player, he fluctuated wildly between shot attempts and contact at the same time.

Even though he's only 23 years old, he has plenty of room to grow, but as the Yankees head into Game 5 of the ALCS with a trip to the World Series on the line, Volpe has done everything they needed him to do. This team is a long way from achieving the goal it set for itself in October, but if it wants to finally bring home a championship, it will need its young shortstop to continue its rise in the fall.