With just a few days to go to Opening Day, the Yankees delivered the news fans have awaited since October. The Yankees’ top prospect and MLB’s fifth-ranked prospect, Anthony Volpe, will be the Bombers’ starting shortstop. The 21-year old Jersey native is the youngest Yankee to start on Opening Day since Derek Jeter in 1996.
The Yankees selected Volpe in the first round, with the 30th overall selection, of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. The 2020 minor league season was cancelled due to COVID, so Volpe spent the season training and perfecting his play at the plate. He spent the 2021 season with the Tampa Tarpons of the Low-A Southeast league and was later promoted to the Hudson Valley Renegades of the High-A East league. In 2022, the Yankees assigned Volpe to the Somerset Patriots of the Double-A Eastern league and later promoted him to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders of the Triple-A International league.
The battle for the Yankees’ 2023 shortstop job was hard-fought between last year’s starting shortstop, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Oswald Peraza, who was called up to play a little at short last year, and Volpe. Despite the fact that Volpe is new to the 40-man roster and only played 22 games at the Triple-A level last season, Volpe won the job fair and square.
With 53 at-bats this spring season, Volpe is batting .302 with a 1.36 OPS and 5 stolen-bases. In his two full minor league seasons, he accumulated 83 total stolen-bases, and more specifically 50 out of 57 attempts last season. His speed, forthwith instincts for the game, and his lifelong desire to play in pinstripes make him a prime guy for the job.
Volpe has had the opportunity to draw from some of the best including Willie Randolph, who himself won the job as the Yankees’ second basemen at just 21 years old in 1976 and later championed for Derek Jeter during his rut in 1996.
“This level is tougher but in some ways, it’s going to be easier because the conditions are better. They’re more consistent around the plate, and you’re going to have guys like Rizzo and Judge, and you know these guys helping him along the way. And that’s a great, great lesson for a young player to be around true professionals like we have here, and just being here to grow on the biggest stage in the world, you know, a little bit of pressure, but that’s okay. This is the big apple. We’re all about winning.” – Randolph told YES.
As for what Anthony Volpe would like the fans to know, per the New York Post,
“I just want to win. I just want to be the player that competes every night and gives his best. But at the end of the day, I just want to win”.
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