Anthony Volpe Reveals Long-Term Goal Ahead of Yankees' Shortstop Decision
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Anthony Volpe’s stock rose tremendously after an impressive campaign in Single-A ball last season. So much so that the 20-year-old shortstop is now the No. 1 prospect in the Yankees’ farm system.
This has created a back-and-forth debate regarding whether the Yankees should sign a top shortstop in free agency or add a stopgap option until Volpe reaches the majors.
The shortstop position, of course, is an area of need for the Yankees at the big-league level after Gleyber Torres committed 18 errors a season ago and was forced to move back to second base. Luckily, Volpe showed significant promise in 2021, slashing .294/.423/.604/1.027 OPS with 27 home runs and 86 RBIs across 109 games between low and high A ball. This has left the Yankees with a tough decision to make at shortstop ahead of the 2022 season.
Volpe, who the Yankees selected 30th overall in the 2019 MLB Draft out of New Jersey’s prestigious private school Delbarton, appeared on David Cone’s “Toeing the Slab” podcast on the Jomboy Media Network recently and was asked about the difficult decision that his performance has created for the organization.
The New Jersey native gave a humble and mature answer about the situation, calling it a “surreal” position, considering he grew up a fan of the team.
“I know I probably sound like a broken record, but at the end of the day, whether it happens this year, next year, whatever, I’d just really like to stay in the present and just work every day to try and become that player that one day is that player wins multiple World Series with the Yankees,” said Volpe.
READ: Yankees' Aaron Boone Gushes Over Top Prospect Anthony Volpe
“I think that’s the long-term goal and I have a lot of short-term goals that I can control. That’s kind of all I’m really focused about and wherever the chips fall, they fall.”
Volpe also went on to to reveal that his focus lies on reaching the majors to help the Yankees take things to the next level, as the club has failed to reach the World Series in 12 consecutive seasons since capturing their 27th title in 2009.
“We’re going to compete,” said Volpe. “We may fail and it may feel weird for a little bit, but ultimately I think everyone’s bought into the fact that if we do this, if we train this way, it’ll make us better players in the long run.”
While Carlos Correa and Trevor Story remain as the top shortstops on the market that will be available after the lockout, the Yankees are less likely to splurge on one of these stars due to Volpe and fellow top prospect shortstop Oswald Peraza nearing the majors. They also have their eyes set on possibly extending Aaron Judge prior to the regular season, which makes a scenario of landing a big money free agent even less realistic at this point.
Regardless, the Yankees should be in good hands with Volpe once he is ready to debut. And the minor leaguer has already shown impressive poise and maturity before turning 21 years of age.
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