New York Yankees top prospect Anthony Volpe is on the verge of being the first rookie to make the team's Opening Day lineup since Aaron Judge in 2017, and the 21-year-old is just happy he's being considered.
“I’m just happy with all the work I’ve been putting in,” Volpe said, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. “I feel like I’ve improved a lot in different parts of my game. We were just talking on the bench about how good of a learning experience this has been. Definitely, we’ve learned things that we’re going to take years into the future.”
After hitting his third Spring Training home run in Friday's 6-4 Grapefruit League loss to the Minnesota Twins, it's looking more and more likely that Volpe will be joining the team and heading north before April.
It's an ongoing debate for manager Aaron Boone whether to play Volpe at shortstop or go with another young prospect in Oswald Peraza, but Volpe is seemingly making the decision easy.
“After being challenged by general manager Brian Cashman to be ready for a spring competition, Volpe has outperformed Peraza and incumbent shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa over the Grapefruit League schedule,” wrote Hoch on Friday night.
If he makes the team, Volpe would be the first Yankee to make his major league debut in a season opener in 20 years; Hideki Matsui was the last one in 2003, and it hadn't happened since 1956 before that.
Although Boone said on Saturday afternoon that no decision had been made on Volpe making the Yankees' roster, he's been extremely impressed.
“He’s been everything we expected and hoped for. He’s looked the part,” Boone explained. “He’s fit in really well; his work has been excellent, and he’s gone out and performed.”
With a .277 batting average (13-for-47) this spring and five doubles, three homers, five RBIs and five stolen bases over 16 Grapefruit League game, it seems inevitable that Anthony Volpe will be the first New York Yankee to make his MLB debut on Opening Day in two decades.
“It’s out of my control,” the youngster said. “I’m just happy to be in the same lineup, the same locker room with a lot of these guys.”
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