The hype surrounding star New York Yankees prospect Anthony Volpe is real. With general manager Brian Cashman unwilling to part ways with Volpe or Oswald Peraza this off-season in a blockbuster trade, it seems as if the Yankees are keen on developing both players and seeing what they can offer at the major league level.
However, most view Volpe’s development as the saving grace for the Yankees at shortstop. The last time a prospect got this much attention at the position was from Derek Jeter, who went on to have one of the best careers in the history of the game.
Fellow minor-league prospects continue to rave about Anthony’s attributes and qualities, as shared in a recent interview by NJ Advanced Media.
“You could definitely tell he was different,” Yankees pitching prospect Ken Waldichuk told NJ Advance Media in a recent interview. “He’s just really smart. You’d see him even on an off day studying pitchers, like seeing what their tendencies were, which is definitely a big-league thing.
“That’s where the whole mental game comes in, especially once you get to the higher levels. Hitters will study each other and they’ll see tendencies and they’ll just sit on stuff. I think the craziest part is at that (rookie league) level everyone’s a little younger and people will watch the game, but it won’t be literally every pitch. Whenever the other pitcher was on the mound, it almost seemed like Volpe was making a scouting report in his head. So you could see he had the mindset to be really good.”
Volpe already has the capabilities to study the game at an extremely high level, which makes his preparation top-tier. Most professional athletes would confirm that studying and understanding each individual pitcher’s tendencies makes a job a bit easier when in the batter’s box.
After a phenomenal first season with the Yankees in single-A, Volpe is preparing to take the jump to Double-A ball. This past season with Tampa and Hudson Valley, he hit a combined .294 with 27 homers, 86 RBIs, and 33 stolen bases. His elevated athleticism and power were showcased through his statistics, but he’s also a solid defender who continues to work on his game. During the 2021 season, Volpe recorded a .962 fielding percentage, a number he will look to improve this upcoming season.
Nonetheless, his teammates already recognize how special of the talent he really is, which should get the Yankees excited for the future as they plan to land a stopgap shortstop until he’s ready for the big leagues.
“Yeah, I can definitely see he’s being compared to Jeter now,” Waldichuk said.