Anthony Volpe, one of the top prospects in the New York Yankees organization, recently spoke about his chances of making the team as their starting shortstop.
New York Yankees will begin their 2023 MLB season campaign on March 30 against arch-rivals San Francisco Giants. However, with less than a week to opening day, the Yanks are yet to announce their final 26-man roster. Meanwhile, the long-going shortstop battle, which saw many highs and lows, refuses to die down and will likely go stretched down to the wire, at least as per GM Brian Cashman.
The top candidature of the battle, Anthony Volpe, is solely responsible for putting the New York Yankees’ decision-making team in a fix. Before the start of spring training, the Bombers already had a clear name on their minds for the starting shortstop position, Oswald Peraza. However, Volpe spoiled the plan with gate crashing performance in the spring. Hence, the battle got unexpectedly stretched down to the wire.
Anthony Volpe Addresses The Shortstop Competition With A Humble Reply
Evidently, Anthony Volpe is turning heads in spring training. No one in their wildest imaginations expects Volpe, a rookie with just 99 minor league plate experience, to take all major league pitchers head-on. Moreover, the 21-year-old on Friday scored his third home run of the spring season. So far, in 47 at-bats, Anthony has hit .277, along with 10 runs, 13 hits, 3 homers, and 5 RBIs. Last night’s performance has only elevated Volpe’s odds of winning the shortstop battle.
However, Volpe, on his part, has laid his feet on the ground. Speaking after the game to Jack Curry of the YES Network, the shortstop said, “I feel like I’m not close to my ceiling yet.” Despite impressive numbers, Volpe does not consider it enough to reach his goals. The shortstop candidate believes he needs to put in more work and sharpen his skills. However, Volpe stated that he remains happy with the kind of development he made as a player and as a person in the past two months. Moreover, he displayed a lot of faith and confidence in the Yankees as an organization to help him reach his ultimate goal.
Volpe Gathers Support From The Senior Camp Of The Yankees
Clearly, Anthony Volpe has received much-needed backing to win the shortstop battle. According to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, the senior members of the New York Yankees camp have advocated for Volpe’s inclusion in the starting lineup as a shortstop. Further, this support will likely help Volpe strengthen his case for the shortstop battle.
On the other hand, Yankees skipper, Aaron Boone, seemed happy with Anthony Volpe’s performance. He said Volpe had been everything they ever hoped for and placed strong candidature for the starting shortstop position. Overall, the 21-year-old stays destined for greatness with the Yankees camp, considering his early flashes of brilliance. Even if he gets sent down to the minors for the time being, his major league is just around the corner.