With the greatness of expectations towards him and despite some adjustments to be made both offensively and defensively, we can say that the arrival of Anthony Volpe at only 21 years old with the New York Yankees is a success.
What helped him make the jump to MLB may have been a timely call from a certain Derek Jeter before the start of this campaign. Let’s say whoever placed the call knows all the ins and outs of being a shortstop with the Bronx Bombers and all that that entails.
Volpe had had a few encounters with Jeter as a fan before, but this was the first time he had a real chance to speak with him. As one can imagine, Volpe was thrilled at the opportunity with his childhood idol.
It was pretty awesome. Talking to him was pretty amazing. He told me it’s just enough to play and have fun. And also to enjoy it. I really try to do that.
The call came at the request of team owner Hal Steinbreinner, who seems to be taking his role more seriously than in years past.
Besides, every month, he organizes meetings behind closed doors with Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone to get an idea of what is really going on inside the club.
I think it’s a healthy exercise to have the positional player leader and the pitcher leader in the room with Cash and Aaron and me and just listen to their concerns and what they think about everything and what we could improve.
Let’s say that this is a change from the philosophy that he foreshadowed in the past, namely to earn income without worrying too much about the quality of the team on the ground. It remains to be seen if this will translate into victories, including those during the autumn dance.
- Franmil Reyes finds a job.
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is doing better.
