For several years, the Yankees have been all-in on Anthony Volpe, who was seen as the organization’s big hope. The young shortstop, who grew up a Yankees fan and admiring Derek Jeter, was truly the club’s big project.
Think back to all the big shortstops the Yankees didn’t even consider signing in free agency: Clearly, expectations for Volpe were high.
Last spring, his big training camp forced the Yankees’ hand, who kept him in the Majors. The plan was clear: he was going to have a tough time, but he had the club’s confidence to make it through the full year in the MLB.
And in fact, he has shown encouraging signs. In 156 games (out of a possible 159), he hit 21 home runs, stole 24 bases, drove in 60 runs and played great defense at shortstop.
On the other hand, there have also been signs in the other direction: his hitting line for the season (.207/.283/.384) is quite ordinary and he is really lacking gas at the end of the campaign.
All of this means that Anthony Volpe’s rookie season leaves us with several questions. What kind of hitter is he really? What is his real ceiling? What role can he assume with the Yankees in 2024?
And, in my eyes, the most important: in the long term, will he really be a shortstop?
Andy Martino summed it up very well in his text: Volpe is a solid defensive player, but Oswald Peraza has a better profile as a long-term shortstop.
And this is not meant as a disavowal of Volpe: he is only more in the mold of a Dustin Pedroia than a Didi Gregorius in his best years, again to use Martino’s words.
And when you consider that Volpe could win a Gold Glove at shortstop this year (and that all of his ties to Derek Jeter mean the club wants him to excel at the #6 position), it could still more complicated the task of a long-term change of position.
I love the comparison of Pedroia to Volpe: both don’t have a big arm, but they are capable of covering ground and being excellent defensive players at second base.
On the offensive side, it may still be a little too early to draw conclusions about Volpe, who barely played in AAA before making the jump to the Majors. His first year was one of adaptation, ultimately.
On the other hand, the fact that his striking line is so lackluster is still a bit worrying: he was seen as a guy capable of making contact with the ball quite easily, but we haven’t seen it this season. In fact, we saw almost the opposite.
There have been many more downs than ups for Volpe on the offensive level this year, certainly, but it is especially in 2024 that the results will have to come. He still deserves the benefit of the doubt for the moment, but sooner or later he will have to produce in the Majors on a regular basis.
Yes, the next season will allow us to get a lot of answers about the youngster.
