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As somebody who watched almost every single Anthony Volpe<\/a> defensive play this year, I can confidently say that for a lot of the season, he didn\u2019t look comfortable attacking the ball. What I mean by that is this: In his couple of steps right before fielding the ball, he didn\u2019t look like he was moving in rhythm. He led the AL with 19 errors, 13 of which came while throwing.<\/p>\n Last season, he was one of the best defenders in the sport. What he lacks in top-end athleticism and arm strength he made up for with supreme footwork, instincts, and pace. He doesn\u2019t have the luxury of a rocket arm, making all those features even more important. This season, the quality of his footwork around the ball was inconsistent and led to mistakes on plays he made consistently through the first two seasons of his career, both with his glove and the accuracy of his arm.<\/p>\n Some of Volpe\u2019s defensive woes could be related to his health. He played through what was later revealed to be a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder, an injury that occurred on May 3, when he felt a pop in the joint while diving for a ball against the Rays. He finally received a cortisone shot to address the injury on September 10<\/a>, more than four months later. Only three of his 19 errors came before he hurt his shoulder, and he didn\u2019t make an error in his 12 games after returning to the field from the shot. Although the injury wasn\u2019t to his throwing arm, it still could have affected his throws. Shortstops use their left arm as a stabilizer to lead them in the correct direction while throwing. Think of the basic mechanics you\u2019re taught as a kid: Point your glove at the target, step at the target, then throw the ball. If your non-throwing shoulder is hurt, you may not be able to use it to properly begin the mechanics for an accurate throw. Many times, shortstops are fielding the ball while moving and don\u2019t have time to plant their feet and step directly toward first base before releasing the ball. In these instances when the lower half of the body is neutralized some, it\u2019s even more important to have a healthy non-throwing arm to direct the ball. That\u2019s especially true for shortstops like Volpe who don\u2019t have strong throwing arms and rely on a quick release to compensate. There\u2019s no way to know how much the shoulder was bothering him, but that is likely how it would have hindered his play.<\/p>\n If the shot did the trick, and if the shoulder truly was the primary cause for Volpe\u2019s poor fielding, then the Yankees should be in a much better position entering the postseason, when making one play could mean the difference between advancing and getting eliminated. He\u2019ll be at shortstop tonight at 6:08 p.m. ET, when the Yankees host the Red Sox in Game 1 of the best-of-three AL Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium<\/a>. <\/p>\n With all that in mind, let\u2019s break down Volpe\u2019s defensive season to get an understanding of what went wrong and how, maybe, it could all be going right again at the most important time of the year.<\/p>\n At this point, we should all know that defensive metrics can be volatile, but data volatility alone isn\u2019t always an explanation for a shift in defensive performance. Rather, the metrics can tell us a lot about why performance is changing, especially if they align with what our eyes are telling us. So let\u2019s begin with the metrics for Volpe over his first three seasons in the majors: <\/p>\n Volpe Defensive Metrics<\/p>\n