The New York Yankees have had one of the more intriguing Spring Training periods across the MLB, due in large part to the amount of young talent they have had delivering standout performances. Easily their biggest position battle throughout spring has come at the shortstop position, and it's looking like young prospect Anthony Volpe may be in line to win that battle.
Entering Spring Training, the Yankees seemed content rolling with Isiah Kiner-Falefa at shortstop again for the 2023 season, but that has changed based on how good Volpe and Oswald Peraza have been. Kiner-Falefa has been preparing for a shift to the outfield to accommodate for these two youngsters, but no final decision on the shortstop position has been made yet.
With the regular season just a few days away now, a decision is certainly imminent, and it's looking more and more like Volpe has won himself the starting shortstop job heading into the 2023 season. Even if he doesn't win the starting role from day one, Volpe has proven during Spring Training that he deserves to be on the Yankees Opening Day roster one way or another.
Yankees need to include Anthony Volpe on their Opening Day roster
Volpe entered Spring Training with some high expectations, but that's typically what happens when you are the Yankees top overall prospect and the fifth best prospect in the entire league. After a strong 2022 campaign, many fans were curious to see what Volpe could do during Spring Training.
Volpe spent most of his 2022 campaign playing in Double-A, but made his way to Triple-A to finish off the season. His combined numbers on the season (.249 BA, 21 HR, 65 RBI, 50 SB, .802 OPS) show that he can be a five-tool player for the Yankees if he reaches his potential. Add in the fact he plays shortstop, which is easily New York's biggest position of need, and fans were all in on Volpe.
Sure enough, the talented young shortstop has balled out during Spring Training. Volpe has been electric for the Yankees (.277 BA, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 5 SB, .967 OPS) and he has vastly out produced the likes of Peraza and Kiner-Falefa. Based on Spring Training alone, this isn't even a contest.
The two main reasons to give Volpe a spot on the Opening Day roster are staring the Yankees right in the face. For starters, he plays shortstop, where the Yanks don't really have a starter locked in. And second, Volpe has raked during Spring Training, being one of New York's most productive hitters during their time in Florida.
There are obviously concerns that come with promoting a top prospect, but those concerns exist with every prospect. Volpe isn't even 22 yet, and he didn't put together his best performances during his brief stint in Triple-A. There's a decent chance that he could use a bit more seasoning in the minors before being thrown into a starting role in the majors to start the season.
But there's also a reason why Volpe is such a hyped prospect. He has proven during his time in the minors that he has all the tools to succeed in the majors, and he's had those tools on full display throughout Spring Training. Volpe has been an on-base machine, a threat to run on the bases, and an exceptional fielder all throughout the month of March.
Now, it is worth noting that you can't put too much stock into Spring Training. simply because the level of competition doesn't come anywhere near what an actual MLB game offers. But it's the closest Volpe has gotten to the majors, and to see him performing at such a high level indicates that he is ready for the majors.
Casting Peraza and Kiner-Falefa aside shouldn't be a huge concern here either. Peraza is still young as well, and can play at different spots in the field, while Kiner-Falefa might have a starting role in the outfield set aside for him already. Everything has been setting up for Volpe to win this job, and now it's time for the Yankees to reward him.
As of right now, the Yankees best option to play shortstop to start the season appears to be Volpe. Kiner-Falefa is a league-average player at his best, and Peraza hasn't performed as well as Volpe has in Spring Training. He may be young, but it looks like that simply doesn't matter; if the player is ready to make the jump to the majors, he's ready to make the jump to majors.
Volpe has definitively proven that he is a major-league ready player, and for that reason, the Yankees shouldn't have to think twice about giving him a spot on the Opening Day roster.
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