Impressive shortstop is now the Yankees’ top prospect and celebrates with a bang

The New York Yankees have managed to build a deep farm without sacrificing major league success, which s something unusual and incredibly hard to do. The system doesn’t have an Adley Rutschman or a Bobby Witt Jr., but its depth was on full display at the trade deadline, when they were able to bring Joey Gallo, Clay Holmes, Joely Rodriguez, Andrew Heaney, and Anthony Rizzo without giving away their top five guys.

Yankees’ draftee Anthony Volpe, taken with the team’s first-round selection in 2019, wasn’t precisely viewed as a star back then, but has fully blossomed into a bonafide stud and has broken out with impressive power at the lower minor league levels in 2021.

The 20-year-old Volpe moved to the top of the Yankees’ prospect rankings in MLB Pipeline’s latest update. Yes, that’s right: he has overtaken hulking outfielder Jasson Dominguez, fellow shortstop Oswald Peraza, and pitchers Deivi Garcia, Luis Gil, Luis Medina, and Clarke Schmidt.

A night to remember for the Yankees’ young stud

The Yankees’ new number one prospect went off on Thusday night, going 3-for-4 with a walk-off 2-run home run against the Cyclones to celebrate his new ranking. He single-handedly carried the Hudson Valley Renegades to a 7-6 victory. He also had a triple, a walk, and three runs scored.

Volpe started the 2021 season as the number 11 prospect in the Yankees’ system. He was viewed as a projectable bat, but truth be told, very few people forecasted this type of power from him.

For the season, Volpe is slashing .305/.438/.619 with 20 home runs, 71 RBIs and 27 stolen bases, for Low-A Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley.

Dominguez fell to second, Peraza is now third. Gil, who has been impressing in the major leagues, is fourth, and Schmidth is fifth.

Per MLB Pipeline, Volpe (No. 15), Dominguez (No. 17) and Peraza (No. 64) are all in the Top 100 prospects list.