Willie Randolph Compares Anthony Volpe's 'it' Factor to Derek Jeter
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As if Yankees fans didn't have enough reason to be excited about top prospect shortstop Anthony Volpe.
When talking about Volpe's intangibles such as focus and work ethic, Willie Randolph compared it to the likes of Yankee greats Derek Jeter and Don Mattingly.
“Some of those guys have ‘it.’ You can see ‘it’ sometimes,” Randolph said Thursday, via Mark Sanchez of The New York Post. “I see a little bit of ‘it’ in [Volpe] as far as his total focus.
“You have a young player who’s focused on getting better and focused on how to learn how to play the game. That’s stuff that really excites me.”
Although Volpe's chances of beating out Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Oswald Peraza for the Opening Day shortstop job appear to be slim, he has impressed so far during spring training and did get some Triple-A experience last season.
On Thursday, Volpe led off the Yankees' Grapefruit League game against the Pittsburgh Pirates with a home run.
At the beginning of camp, Volpe acknowledged that he was looking forward to picking the brain of Randolph, a former Yankees star.
Volpe and Randolph first met last year when the 21-year-old shortstop was playing for Double-A Somerset.
Randolph had heard about the hype surrounding Volpe, but wanted to see for himself if he was the real deal.
“From Day 1, he’s been right here with me. You can tell he wants to be the best,” said Randolph, who has been working with the infielders as a guest instructor at Yankees camp. “That’s when you know you got a chance as a coach, as someone who’s willing to give up my knowledge to him.
“When you have a player that’s really engaged, and he wants to work on not just the physical stuff but the IQ.
“Talent is great, but to play championship baseball, you got to put the cerebral with that.”
Randolph has taken in the questions Volpe asks, while watching the rhythm and internal body clock, in which he plays the infield. He also has taken note of the decisions he makes under pressure.
On Wednesday, the Nationals had runners on second and third with one out when Volpe made a heads up play by fielding a ground ball and firing to third in order to catch the runner in a rundown to start a double play.
There was that "it" factor again that Randolph has been talking about.
“It’s a lot rarer than you think. That’s why when you see it, you notice it,” Randolph said. “A lot of kids walk around, they might be confident, a little cocky, but that’s all superficial stuff.
“I think that you can tell when a guy is really engaged in his work and what he’s doing.”
Entering play on Friday, Volpe has made an impact with his bat, glove or legs in all four Grapefruit League games he has appeared in. He is 4-for-11 with a homer, a double, a walk and two steals.
“He has the attributes,” Randolph said, “that make you think, ‘OK, you may be a little bit different than some of the young guys.’ ”
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