The New York Yankees had a roundtable meeting on Tuesday to iron out opinions regarding the shortstop position battle. Heading into spring training, Oswald Peraza had leverage and was expected to be the starter barring any unforeseen circumstances. That was until Anthony Volpe arrived on the scene with one goal in mind, making the 26-man roster.
Volpe has been electric over the past few weeks, and with just over a week remaining until Opening Day, the Yankees have a big decision to make regarding his promotion. The 21-year-old is hitting .308 with a .438 OBP, two homers, 12 hits, three RBIs, and five stolen bases across 39 at-bats. He has the moxie and confidence of an experienced MLB player, making it incredibly difficult for the Bombers to keep him in their minor-league system.
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In fact, a number of veterans on the roster have already advocated for him to get the call-up, notably Aaron Judge and now star utilityman DJ LeMahieu.
“He’s definitely a big-leaguer,” LeMahieu said Tuesday, via the New York Post. “You can tell he really wants it and loves to play. Talent-wise, the talent is there.”
LeMahieu is having a fantastic spring of his own, hitting .357 with a .400 OBP, but Volpe is performing even better given his athleticism and impressive hit tool.
The Yankees need to make the easy choice — elevate Anthony Volpe:
It is one thing to be confident but another to put it into action, which is precisely what Volpe is doing this spring, making it tough for management to hold him back for service time purposes. The Yankees have hugged prospects in the past and tried to manipulate their future, but their No. 1 prospect is ready to make an impact on this team immediately, and he’s born to feature under the bright lights of Yankee Stadium.
“It’s his first big-league spring [training] and you never know how a guy is gonna look,” LeMahieu said. “He’s been on it the whole time. I’m excited to play with him at some point, whenever that is.”
Whether the Yankees featured him at shortstop or second base, there’s no doubt Volpe has the talent to succeed at both. To make matters even more enjoyable for Yankee fans, Volpe has envisioned himself wearing pinstripes since he was a kid, looking up the players like Derek Jeter.
For someone who wants to be a Yankee and has the talent to be a superstar, holding him back would be a disservice, even if it means paying him a year earlier for excellent performance.