Anthony Volpe Continuing to Make Case for Yankees' Opening Day Roster
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What else does he have to do?
Yankees top prospect Anthony Volpe continued his impressive spring on Sunday by recording a double and an opposite field home run in New York's Grapefruit League tie with the Boston Red Sox.
In the top of the fifth inning, Volpe's opposite field homer cleared the Red Sox bullpen to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead.
He's now batting .320 with a .433 on-base percentage and a 1.113 OPS in Grapefruit League play. Overall in 25 at-bats, Volpe has eight hits, two home runs, two RBIs, four walks and three stolen bases.
“I think there’s a lot of time left, a lot of games left,” Volpe told reporters. “For me, it’s just trying to take advantage of every opportunity. Having the coaching staff and support staff to work with you and get it right in the games [helps]. It’s definitely early, but everyone wants to perform in the games.”
According to MLB Pipeline, Volpe is the Yankees' No. 1 prospect and the No. 5 prospect in all of baseball.
Volpe is competing with fellow top prospect Oswald Peraza and veteran Isiah Kiner-Falefa for the Yankees' starting shortstop job this spring.
Although he has just 99 plate appearances in Triple-A, the 21-year-old is showing that the hype is real and that he is ready for the big-leagues.
“Just really good at-bats for him all day, getting himself in good counts and getting in good swing decisions,” manager Aaron Boone said. “I think it gives you a little peek at how much power he’s got to all fields. … A lot of our guys, especially our established core guys, he’s gotten their attention.”
While general manager Brian Cashman says there has yet to be internal discussions about the shortstop position, Volpe has certainly caught his eye in camp.
“I’m not surprised he’s played well. He’s here for consideration,” Cashman said. “He’s a really good player. We think he’s got a really bright future. He’s just continuing to do what he’s always done, which is play really well when he’s in games. It’s just a continuation of that. [Vice president and director of amateur scouting] Damon Oppenheimer and his staff deserve a lot of credit for a great pick, and he continues to reinforce why.”
Volpe's teammates are excited about what he is doing, too.
Outfielder Aaron Hicks even asked a group of reporters: “Hey, did you see Volpe’s home run?”
As Spring Training progresses, the idea that Volpe could be the Yankees' Opening Day shortstop is starting to look more realistic by the day. He has certainly earned the consideration with his strong play this spring. For now, though, Volpe is taking it day-by-day.
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