Anthony Volpe, born on April 28, 2001, is the newest shortstop for the New York Yankees and is stealing peoples’ hearts as well as he steals bases. Watchung, New Jersey native, Volpe grew up a Yankees and, more importantly, a Derek Jeter fan. He now has some big shoes to fill as shortstop, Jeter’s old position, but he’s definitely off to a great start.
Volpe had plans to play baseball at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee but those plans changed when he was chosen in the first round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Yankees. Since starting for the Yankees in the 2023 season, Volpe has proved what he’s capable of. One of his secret weapons? Stealing bases. On Saturday, April 15, Volpe stole three bases during the game against the Minnesota Twins. Recently, the MLB added a new rule for the 2023 season, the pitch clock, where a pitcher will have 15 seconds to throw the pitch if there is no one on base and they’ll have 20 seconds if there is someone on base. Because of this new rule, stealing bases is easier for the runners because they can see how much time the pitcher has left to throw the pitch and have a better idea of when to run. As you can see in this clip, Volpe has been taking advantage of this new pitch rule. At this game, Volpe became the first Yankee to steal three bases in one game since Ichiro Suzuki.
Stealing bases isn’t the only thing Volpe has up his sleeves. He’s been having a successful time at the plate, too. Out of 22 games so far, Volpe has gained 22 bases, one of those being from a double, one being from a triple, and two being from a homerun, giving him a batting average of .188 and an OBP (on-base percentage) of .318. In the game on Saturday, April 22, against the Toronto Blue Jays, Volpe gave the Yankees the lead with a two-run home run in the eighth inning. Manager Aaron Boone talked about how Volpe is doing at-bat in an interview with the New York Post, “He’s a load up there. Because he doesn’t chase, makes them work, really strings some balls. Got behind in some counts and battled his way back.” Volpe has now been moved up as the lead-off hitter for the Yankees in the most recent games, and it’s looking like it could be a more regular line-up.
While Volpe is hitting it off with the fans, he’s also hitting it off with his teammates. Aaron Judge, MVP and the new captain of the Yankees said to ESPN, “You wouldn’t know he’s 21… Like, if I saw that kid playing, and he told me he was a 27-year old guy we just traded for, I’d be like, ‘Oh yeah, looks like he’s got some experience.’ Just his demeanor, his calmness, it’s fun to see and fun to have that in the lineup.’” Judge isn’t the only captain to be singing his praise about the young rookie either. Jeter, former captain of the Yankees, passed the torch to Volpe in a Tweet saying: “Congratulations @Volpe_Anthony. There’s nothing like playing shortstop for the New York Yankees.”
Between his performance on the field and the praise he is already getting from fans and Yankees from this season and previous seasons, it is a sure sign that Volpe is a keeper and I’m excited to see his journey as shortstop for the New York Yankees. Sure, Jeter may be a tough act to follow, but Volpe’s number is #11, and one plus one equals two.