C-Mac: Anthony Volpe will be Yankees leadoff hitter by May if new approach sticks

Anthony Volpe looked like a much more mature hitter to open his sophomore season, drawing three walks and ripping a 105 mph single back up the middle in the Yankees’ Opening Day victory in Houston.

Volpe is coming off a strong spring in which he worked on leveling out his swing, and it seemed to pay dividends on Thursday, as did a newfound patience at the plate that C-Mac says could have him in the Yankees’ leadoff spot by May.

“He swung at everything last year. He was taking every close pitch this year,” C-Mac said. “Single and three walks. Those are the kind of at-bats, the kind of Anthony Volpe that will find himself at the top of the lineup before you know it.

“If you watched how calm he was, that’s what I noticed. Last year, it felt like if you got two strikes on Anthony Volpe, you could almost do anything. As long as you didn’t throw a fastball down the middle…he would either chase, not put a good swing on it, or swing out of his shoes.”

Volpe posted a miserable .389 OPS in two-strike counts last season, but looked much more poised in the box on Thursday against Framber Valdez. It was a promising turn of events for the shortstop that had been one of the more hyped Yankee prospects since the Baby Bombers era.

“It’s one game, but he had a great spring, and man oh man, did he not look completely different,” C-Mac said. “He looked completely comfortable in every at-bat.”