The New York Yankees had elevated expectations for top prospect Anthony Volpe entering spring training. Management gave Volpe the green light to compete for the starting shortstop job, but the expectation is they will move him around the infield to test his resiliency in other spots.
Volpe enjoyed his first spring training action, serving as the lead-off hitter in the Yankees’ 9–5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. Across four at-bats, he recorded two hits, two runs and swiped two bags. Defensively, he looked stout and smooth in his fundamentals, but his offensive aggression certainly proved to be a catalyst.
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Of course, Anthony needs to have a legendary spring to justify being called up. Since the Yankees have a log jam currently unfolding in the infield, they may prefer for him to continue his development in Triple-A with Scranton. Nonetheless, if he manages to continue producing at a similar pace, it will be difficult for manager Aaron Boone to keep him down for too long.
“At the end of the day, (manager) Aaron (Boone) and (general manager) Brian (Cashman) will make the final call on who plays where,” said Jim Hendry, special assistant to Cashman. “But I think from talking to Aaron, he’s going to play a lot of short and a lot of second, and I think everyone’s smart enough to know that the final decisions won’t be just based off spring training statistics. Aaron has seen a little of him but not a ton yet, and I think the kid’s up for it. Whether it’s Opening Day or whenever, I think he’ll be an everyday Yankee for a long time.”
Via The Athletic.
The Yankees want to find a good spot for Anthony Volpe:
With Oswald Peraza having a leg up to win the shortstop job, Volpe will also be competing at second base, where he could unseat Gleyber Torres. However, Torres also had a tremendous start to spring training, including an opposite-field home run.
Torres showed above-average defensive qualities at second base in 2022, cementing his job to open the upcoming season. There is a strong possibility that general manager Brian Cashman will look to move Torres if he views Volpe as their long-term solution at second base, especially if Peraza lockdown shortstop.
One way or another, a significant youth movement is coming, and the Bombers have a few big decisions to make regarding key players like Gleyber, who still have value but may not have a long-term feature on the squad.