The Yankees haven’t found a shortstop that they can count on yet. But with Anthony Volpe is there, general manager Brian Cashman possibly doesn’t want to sign a veteran infielder through free agency. According to Yankees insider Michael Kay, Cashman has already informed Volpe that he has a chance to become the Yankees’ shortstop.
The long-time Yankees’ voice was talking about Volpe and his chances of starting for the Bronx Bombers in 2023 in a recent YES Network show:
“Brian told him, ‘You have a chance at this job. The way you performed at spring training…'”
Anthony Volpe, the top prospect for the New York Yankees, has always been a fan of the team. He knows how important it is for the historic club for him to play shortstop. It looks like that chance will come for the young man sooner.
Anthony Volpe is seen as one of the best prospects in present-day baseball. The club recently sent the young shortstop to the club’s AAA team. Even though he hasn’t played a Major League Baseball game for the Yankees yet, he is quickly becoming a fan favorite, and people are keeping a close eye on his progress.
At every level of the game, the young right-hander has done well. Anthony Volpe played 110 games with the AA Somerset Patriots and hit 18 home runs and drove in 60 runs. He also stole 44 bases and had an OBP of .348 at the end of the season.
At the end of the season, Anthony Volpe was finally moved up. He looked at home in AAA and kept doing great things. In just 22 games, Volpe hit three home runs, drove in five runs, stole six bases, and had an OPS of .717.
During the off-season, a number of well-known shortstops were available. But the Yankees didn’t go for Correa, Bogaerts, or Trea Turner, who got huge, long-term deals. Instead, they will most likely promote a player from within their own team. It can be Anthony Volpe.
“He gets back from a long, long minor league season,” Kay said. “He goes Double-A, then Triple-A. His dad convinces him, ‘Anthony, give your body a month. Just let it reset. Don’t keep pushing yourself.’”
Anthony Volpe agreed at first, but one phone call from Brian Cashman changed everything for the 21-year-old shortstop. His dad heard the garage door open at 5:30 a.m., and the next day, Volpe was gone. When his father asked if he would continue to rest his body for the next month, the former No. 7 overall pick cut him off quickly with a “nope” and said he needed to work out if he wanted to get the starting job.
“This guy wants this,” Kay continued. “This is important for him. Yankee fan since birth. He almost has a little bit of that (Derek Jeter) maniacal focus to him. Jeter only wanted to be a Yankee shortstop, so does Volpe.”
Yankees fans love Anthony Volpe
In 2022, the club was worried about the shortstop spot. The position has been held by DJ LeMahieu before he was out on the injured list. Gleyber Torres too had a chance. The Yankees dropped Isiah Kiner-Falefa after his erratic defense and gave chance to Oswaldo Cabrera.
Anthony Volpe, on the other hand, seems to be the person the fans want for the job. Even though he is still young, his growth and development have been better than expected. Fans will be excited by what Brian Cashman says, and Volpe is likely to work harder this offseason because of it. Oswald Peraza, a prospect from Venezuela, is also likely to get a chance in 2023.
At the moment, Anthony Volpe is only 21 years old. Some people might think that’s young, but Derek Jeter, another New York Yankees shortstop, made his debut at the same age. It went pretty well in the end.
In a July interview, Cashman said that the team would keep an eye on Anthony Volpe as a prospect.
“He dealt with some adversity early on and fought through it,” Cashman said. “Now he’s finding his stride. It’s all good. Looking forward to the way he goes about it, too. He’s a really talented player, great makeup. His future we believe in quite bright.”
After the Yankees called up shortstop Oswald Peraza to the big leagues and sent Delbarton School star Anthony Volpe to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, where he got one step closer to getting the starting job. In his first two games, he had an average of .444 at the plate.
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