Heading into spring training, it was a consensus narrative that Anthony Volpe could use a bit more time in Triple-A. I know his talent and skillset are elite, but I also had figured that he would still need to work through some motions there before he was ready for the show with the Yankees.
Turns out, I was mistaken, and I will happily eat my words. Volpe has been absolutely incredible in spring, and he’s shown why he is the consensus No. 1 prospect in the system. Though I may still believe Domínguez is the best prospect in the farm, Volpe is making it increasingly more difficult.
Peraza was my initial choice to man shortstop to begin this season. The small sample size of success he had last year was enough for me to justify giving him the full-time duties there, as well as the idea of giving IKF another go there haunted me. Peraza should still get a lot of reps for the rest of spring, but as of right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if Volpe were to take the starting job from him.
- 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
- Yankees could see this interesting pitching prospect get an MLB promotion
Volpe has done everything right for the Yankees:
Anthony Volpe has been absolutely on one and has done so against some major league pitching along the way. In the game against Boston the other day, he hit a double off Tanner Houck and hit a massive opposite-field homer off Chris Martin.
This spring training has been the Volpe and Domínguez show, with guys like Chaparro and a few other NRI’s that have stolen the spotlight. Anthony Volpe is slashing .321/.424/.679, which is good for a 1.103 OPS over 28 ABs this spring. I know it’s still a very small sample, but he’s doing everything right and then some.
If he does end up starting on opening day at shortstop, then the Yanks could even look into moving Peraza if they so choose. Hanging on to Gleyber Torres seems like the smarter option of the two, as if Oswald Peraza reaches Gleyber’s level, every single fan would be thrilled with his production. Yet, Gleyber has fallen down fans’ lists, though for no real justifiable reason. Keeping a power-hitting, great defender like Torres to pair with Volpe up the middle should be the priority.
I’m not saying the Yanks should, nor will trade Peraza. I am saying that if it were between him and Torres to get dealt, I’d deal Oswald. He would fetch a large package or potentially a great pitcher to slot into the rotation, as thanks to his control, age, and talent, almost every team in baseball would love to have him.
The arrival of Volpe should be expedited, and it’s been a long time coming:
My only worry is that depth is critical in baseball, and as Yankees fans, we learn this every year. Who would fill in if one of the infielders were to go down? Certainly hope it wouldn’t be IKF, who could also be dealt here before the season starts.
Anthony Volpe is the kid that was promised, the prodigal son, I dare say. He’s come home to show just how good he is, and the Yankees should absolutely give him a shot. He’s impressed across the board and even has the Yanks’ current MLB group of guys all swooning over him. I can’t think of any sort of mistakes he’s made, and he’s also looked as solid as can be up the middle at both shortstop and second base.
He’s showcased both his power and speed this spring, with 6 XBH and three steals to his ledger thus far. There’s still some time left for him to continue to win everyone over, and I feel like he’s not going to let this opportunity slip away. It’ll all come down to whether or not Cashman and Boone feel as confident as everyone else seems to. Hopefully, the answer to that question is yes.