Even though there is a lockout going on in the MLB right now, that doesn’t mean the New York Yankees can’t think about the future of their team. Right now, Anthony Volpe is the Yankees top prospect and for good reason.
Who is Anthony Volpe?
Anthony Volpe was born in Watchung, NJ on April 28, 2001. He attended high school at Delbarton, Morristown, NJ.
On July 19, 2018, Volpe was assigned to UA American as a second baseman. Not even a month later, he was assigned to PG East.
In the 2019 Draft, Volpe was picked in the first round by the Yankees right out of high school, where he received a $2.74 million signing bonus.
The following day after being signed, Volpe was assigned to the Pulaski Yankees. In 34 games, he hit two home runs, had 11 RBIs, 23 walks, 38 strike outs, had a .215 batting average and an OPS of .704.
In March of 2020, Volpe was assigned to the New York Yankees. February 12, 2021, he was assigned to the Yankees organization. A few months later, he was assigned to the Tampa Tarpons. This was when his position was changed from a second baseman to a shortstop.
During Volpe’s time on the Tarpons, he hit .302, had 49 RBIs, struck out 43 times, stole 21 bases, walked 51 times and had an OPS of 1.078 in 54 games. He received a Low-A Southeast Player of the Month Award in the June 2021 and a Low-A Southeast Offensive Player of the Week Award for the week of June 6, 2021.
In July of 2021, Volpe was assigned to the Hudson Valley Renegades from the Tampa Tarpons. During the time, he hit .286 with 15 home runs, 37 RBIs, 27 walks, 58 strike outs, 12 stolen bases and an OPS of .978 in 55 games. He received a Baseball American Minor League All-Star Award in 2021.
Where does Volpe fit in to the Yankees Organization?
Volpe was the only player in the Minors with at least 30 stolen bases, 30 doubles and 25 home runs. This says a lot, especially since the Yankees are in desperate need of a shortstop. This may explain why they never made any offers to some big-league free agents who are available. It would make a lot of sense to just play around with the players the Yankees already got. DJ LeMahieu is a perfect example of this. He can play any position in the infield so it is just a question of who goes where. This may change once Volpe is ready to hit for the Bronx Bombers.
Volpe’s numbers not only show signs of something positive for the Yankees and their 12-year World Series drought, but he shows he can be a great all-around player. Although he struck out approximately 26 percent of the time at the plate, he has the power to hit home runs and his 42 doubles shows what he can do. Just hit in the clutch and play small-ball. It is always the little things that matter that sometimes get overlooked.
Yankee fans may be angry that nothing was done to obtain key players when the had the chance. This in-action for acquiring a shortstop may be what they had planned all along. Is it possible that this was what they were looking to do the whole time? Did the Yankees already know who they wanted and were silent for a reason? Once this lockout ends, hopefully the truth will be revealed.
Featured Image Courtesy of baseballamerica.com
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