Early in Spring, Yankees top prospect Anthony Volpe has been hitting the cover off the baseball. Showcasing his smooth glove-to-hand transitions and displaying all of the tangible qualities that have made him such an exciting young player, he finally has the opportunity to put it to the test in live action.
Volpe will lead off against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon. The Yankees have two games going on simultaneously at 1 PM, but Volpe will have an opportunity to be the focal point of their offensive game plan, a situation has been preparing for his entire life.
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The Yankees are very excited about Anthony Volpe, and so are we:
Volpe has incredible patience at the plate and pairs contact, hitting with solid power. At 21 years old, Volpe is coming off a tremendous season with Double-A and a good start with Scranton in Triple-A. For Somerset across 110 games, Volpe hit .251 with a .348 OBP, 18 homers, and 60 RBIs. He also contributed 44 stolen bases.
At first glance, his batting metrics aren’t mouthwatering, but that’s only due to a slow first two months. Once June rolled around, Volpe put together incredible numbers that justify his place as the top prospect in the Yankees farm system.
Having enjoyed 22 games at the Triple-A level, the expectation is that he will be sent back to Scranton at least for the first few months of the season. Considering the team has a log jam in the infield currently, with Gleyber Torres, DJ LeMahieu, Oswald Peraza, Josh Donaldson, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa all battling for starting reps, Volpe may have a hard time cementing a starting role.
Nonetheless, if Anthony dominates during spring training, he may make a strong case to be included on the 26-man roster, but his performance would have to truly be excellent.