Anthony Volpe, who is only 21 years old, is so talented that the Yankees were willing to let members of the best free-agent class of shortstops all go elsewhere.
Entering this season, the Yankees had a gaping hole at shortstop. Gleyber Torres had struggled there and was moving back to second base. The Yankees were in luck, though, as a heralded free-agent class of shortstops was hitting the free-agent market: Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Trevor Story and Javier Báez had all been All-Stars, and three of them had won a World Series.
The Yankees passed on all of them, trading for Isiah Kiner-Falefa, a sure-handed fielder not known for his bat.
Why? The team had hoped to improve its defence, but the free agents’ prices were exorbitant. Kiner-Falefa, who is under team control for two seasons, makes $4.7 million this year, while Correa, Seager, Story, and Báez all signed contracts worth $23.3 million or more per year. Correa is the second-highest-paid position player in baseball this season, earning $35.1 million.
However, the Yankees’ managing general partner, Hal Steinbrenner, stated in March that there was another reason to avoid top-tier talent: “We do have two incredible prospects that I’m excited to give a chance to.”
Anthony Volpe, widely regarded as the organization’s future shortstop, was one of those prospects.
Volpe had the opportunity to showcase his skills during the annual Futures Game, an exhibition of the sport’s top prospects held in advance of Tuesday’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
“That’s obviously great to hear from someone like that,” Volpe said before Saturday’s game, in which he went 0 for 2 and made all of the defensive plays at shortstop over three innings.
“I feel like I’ve got a long way to go, and this is obviously a great step in my career,” he continued. “Even if I get there one day, there’s a lot more work to be the player I want to be and hopefully win a lot of rings here.”
Volpe, 21, meant it seriously. He was an ardent Yankees fan growing up in Morristown, New Jersey, a town 40 miles west of Yankee Stadium, and he admired Derek Jeter, the Yankees’ Hall of Fame former shortstop and captain. He and his father attended Jeter’s final All-Star Game in 2014, as well as the Futures Game that year. Volpe often imagined himself playing shortstop at Yankee Stadium as a child and now as a Yankees prospect.
“That’s the end goal for which I’m working hard and am very excited,” he said.
The Yankees selected Volpe, a right-handed hitter from Delbarton School, with the 30th overall pick in the 2019 draught, and enticed him away from a college commitment to Vanderbilt University with a $2.7 million signing bonus.
“People don’t know this story, but when he was getting drafted, he wouldn’t talk to any teams during his senior year of high school because he was only concerned with winning a state championship,” said infielder Max Burt, one of Volpe’s closest friends at Class AA Somerset. “And that is precisely what he did. “Winning is his number one priority.”
Volpe’s first full season in the minor leagues didn’t begin until 2021 because the previous season was cancelled due to the pandemic. He hit.294 with 27 home runs and a 1.027 on-base plus slugging percentage in 109 games. Volpe, who plays for Somerset 30 minutes from his hometown, started slowly this season but has been on a tear since the beginning of June, raising his season totals to.253 with 12 home runs and an.812 O.P.S. through 77 games.
“He was made for New York,” Burt said. “He’s built to play in front of a crowd.” He’s obviously had media and so much attention on a daily basis, and he’s handled it incredibly.”
Playing so close to home has its advantages: Volpe lives in his childhood home, but with a few new friends. His Somerset teammates include catcher Austin Wells (the Yankees’ first-round pick in 2020), outfielder Blake Perkins, and Burt. Volpe stated that his mother cooks for them and that the entire team is invited over after Sunday home games.
“It’s a great environment to play in and then come home to see my family,” he said, later adding, “It’s been a fun year.”
Volpe combines discipline at the plate, power, the ability to hit the ball with the barrel of the bat, strong defence, and speed on the bases, according to Somerset Manager Dan Fiorito. Volpe swiped 33 bases last season and has already surpassed that total (35) in fewer games this season.
“At only 21 years old, he’s far ahead of the game,” Fiorito said via email, “and we’re all so excited for his future.”
“I just turned 21 this year, and I don’t think there’s a 21-year-old in the world who couldn’t get better at everything,” Volpe added. It’s all over the place: hitting, defence, and so on. “All I want to do is keep learning and never stop.”
However, when talking to Yankees officials and Volpe’s teammates, one of the most common themes is his demeanour. Fiorito described Volpe as a “relentless competitor” and said it was unusual to find leaders in such young players. Burt stated that his friend’s attitude is the same whether he is 0 for 4 with four strikeouts or 4 for 4 with four home runs.
“The way he conducts himself, the way he leads within that clubhouse, he has a really positive impact on his teammates, the way he interacts with the fans,” Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman said. “You know, he’s got that ‘it’ factor.” That’s a cliche, but it’s the best description I can think of. You have five tools to grade, then you do the performance, and finally you get the extra gear, which is makeup.
“He also has that extra gear.” That comes with the package, and it’s all thanks to his parents. He’s going to be a successful player at the highest level, and we’d love to have him.”
The decision to back Kiner-Falefa, who is from Hawaii but grew up watching the Yankees and aspiring to be like Jeter, has paid off this season for New York. Along with other improvements, he has contributed to the Yankees becoming the best team in baseball. They had a 63-28 record and a 1212-game lead in the American League East as of Sunday.
A young man from New Jersey admires Jeter and hopes to emulate him one day.