One of the main reasons the New York Yankees are potentially looking to find a stop-gap solution at shortstop is the presence of young infielder Anthony Volpe in their minor league system.
General manager Brian Cashman and the coaching staff have gushed about his qualities as an offensive threat, but he’s also a solid defensive player with elevating attributes.
MiLB.com awarded Anthony Volpe as the best shortstop in the Yankees’ minor-league system, which was expected despite the presence of Oswald Peraza.
However, the way Volpe was described should prick a few ears:
Volpe, 20, had the type of season that really makes a club ponder its own future.
Given how great he’s played, passing on an option that Carlos Correa will likely be the case if the Yankees believe Volpe will be ready to make the jump in no more than two years.
Correa wouldn’t enjoy the idea of moving from shortstop. If you’re paying a player over 10 seasons, you don’t have much flexibility in the matter.
However, it seems the Cashman is quite confident Volpe will make a successful transition in the coming years. This past season, he slashed .294/.423/.604 with 27 homers, 33 stolen bases, 86 RBIs, 35 doubles, 113 runs scored, and 170 wRC+.
“I think the biggest thing for me was to see how he impacted the game every single night in every way,†Renegades manager Dan Fiorito said. “With the bat — his consistency, his sense of timing, his feel for the barrel, his ability to drive the baseball to all fields was the first thing that stood out, and the power numbers this year were certainly there.â€
Not only has Volpe displayed incredible hitting, but also elite bass running abilities, something the Yankees have lacked within their batting order. Having a player who can hit for power but also display incredible athleticism is rare, which makes the minor-league prospect that much more excited. For that matter, it also brews a bit of excitement with Jasson Dominguez.
The question is, do they have enough faith in him to pass on an elite shortstop on the free-agent market? If there was ever an opportunity to upgrade the SS spot, the market this year provides that solution, and passing on it in hopes of Volpe developing into a top player is risky.
[wpdiscuz-feedback id=”lbuainnb6f” question=”What do you think?” opened=”0″]Do you think they should stick with their confidence in Volpe and sign a stopgap or go for a big gun like Carlos Correa? Comment here![/wpdiscuz-feedback]