All eyes are on New York Yankees top prospect Anthony Volpe, who started off his first spring training on a hot note. Volpe was given the green light several months ago to compete for the starting shortstop job, but most expected, he would simply end up in Triple-A Scranton once again, needing further development until his eventual promotion. However, Volpe has stifled any concerns and is putting together a strong sample size of action, both offensively and defensively.
- Yankees are getting surprising offensive production from veteran catcher
- Yankees’ super-utility man is seeing his numbers plummet back down to Earth
- Yankees’ $98 million slugger in the middle of another ice-cold stretch
In fact, Volpe has played so well that manager Aaron Boone indicated that they are “paying attention.“
The Yankees are seeing that Anthony Volpe is ready:
The 21-year-old top prospect is coming off a season where he hit .251 with a .348 OBP, 18 homers, 60 RBIs, and 44 stolen bases in Double-A with Somerset. He played just 22 games with Scranton, hitting .236 with a .313 OBP, three homers, and five RBIs.
Seemingly, he needed a bit more time to assimilate and adjust to the next level of talent, but he has easily taken on spring training. Volpe is the type of player that commits to a challenge and doesn’t rest until it is conquered, which in this case, is making it to the MLB.
Over 15 spring training at-bats, Volpe has tallied five hits, one home run, four runs, one RBI, and two stolen bases. Even some of his outs have been well-struck balls, line drives to the hot corner, or hard-hit ground balls to the infield.
He has put together a noticeable product that management is acutely aware of. If he continues at this pace, it will be incredibly difficult for the Bombers to keep him down in Triple-A, but the current infield log jam undoubtedly is cause for concern.
The team will need to find ways to maximize the value of players like Gleyber Torres, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and even Josh Donaldson. Donaldson and Gleyber project to be starters at the beginning of the season, and since Volpe will only take over shortstop or second base, it will be interesting to see how they get him involved.