The New York Yankees are ready to unleash their youth in 2023. As things currently stand, Oswald Peraza is the odds on favorite to be the starting shortstop. However, the Yanks top prospect Anthony Volpe is knocking on the door and he’s been told that he has a shot at the job as well out of spring training.
I started thinking about this topic the other day. Is there a scenario where both Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza are in the starting lineup for the Yankees out of spring training? If we are being honest, the odds aren’t great and I would say that Volpe likely starts in Triple-A.
However, I think that New York should seriously look into this. Gleyber Torres is being pegged as the starting second baseman, but I think that he’s on the block. His trade value has raised after last season and the Yankees nearly traded him at the deadline.
Yankees to go Young?
Let’s say that the Yankees trade away Gleyber Torres, then you have DJ LeMahieu at second, right? Well, while no one has done it yet, New York has been looking for someone to take on Josh Donaldson. If the Yankees could find someone to take Donaldson, then LeMahieu would shift to third.
Peraza would likely be your shortstop with Volpe switching to second base. The youth would bring energy and electric defense up the middle. Not too mention the speed difference both guys would make. With the new rules, Volpe and Peraza would both swipe 30 bags easily.
Now, the Yankees normally let their prospects develop at every level before coming up to the majors. For that reason, I don’t see Volpe coming up right away. However, he could ultimately force their hand and it might honestly put the best team on the field.
As of now, I think Donaldson stays and Torres gets dealt along with Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Rizzo, LeMaheiu, Peraza, and Donaldson is your starting infield next year with Volpe getting ready at Triple-A.