The next Jeter? Volpe just wants to get better

TAMPA, Florida – Anthony Volpe has been impressing locals and strangers alike for nearly a decade, dating back to his days on the pitch in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania when he was already beginning to receive interest from the United States national team.

“My God, I thought he was the best player ever,” Yankees prospect Beck Way said as he attended one of the workouts with his future teammate. “Very fast. He hit home runs. I’m older than him, but he played on our team. At 12 years old, he adapted immediately. That says a lot. If he can do it at 12 years old, he will be able to compete at any level.”

That remains the consensus, especially in the Yankees’ minor league workouts. Volpe, who will turn 21 on April 28, is among those participating in the club’s workouts in preparation for the upcoming minors season.

“I don’t think any 20-year-old is close to reaching potential,” Volpe said. “I am working on every detail. Anything that can make me better.”

This could be a big year for Volpe, the club’s first pick (30th overall) in the 2019 Amateur Draft. He is currently the Yankees’ top prospect and the number 15 in major leagues, according to MLB Pipeline. He is coming off an excellent 2021 campaign, in which he split time between Class-A Lower Tampa and Class-A Fort Hudson Valley.

A jump to Double-A Somerset seems possible, with 2023 being Volpe’s estimated time to reach the Majors. That’s no small feat, considering the Yankees’ Opening Day shortstop isn’t set yet. Dillon Lawson, the club’s new hitting coach, constantly talks about Volpe’s swing.

“He’s effective against any pitcher, whether he’s righty or lefty, whether he’s throwing over the shoulder or from the side,” Lawson said. “He can handle the fastball, as well as slow pitches. It is not only a high floor, but a ceiling that is lost from sight. He plays at a very high level always.”

Volpe said he sees the way Puerto Ricans Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa, and Trevor Story, play as a role model. But he is not yet ready to imagine himself competing against them.

“It’s hard to think. I am happy living in the present”, confessed Volpe. “I just want to see the guys after a long offseason. It’s hard for me to think about a situation that’s so far in the future.”

Volpe has a confidence to match his tools, as he looks to the challenges ahead. The Yankees signed Volpe for $2,740,300 three years ago.

The shortstop was limited to 34 games in 2019 due to mononucleosis. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 season. “It was 7 pm and I was sitting at the dining room table, wishing I was running on the field,” he recalls. But Volpe dedicated himself to building muscle in that spare time.

Those extra workouts carried over to the field, where he hit .294/.423/.604 with 35 doubles, six triples, 27 home runs, 86 RBIs and 33 stolen bases in 109 games in 2021.

“I think I learned a lot last year, about what it takes to play a full season as a pro,” Volpe said. “I feel like I have a lot of things to build on. I learned a lot. I’m excited to continue.”

With that in mind, Volpe visited the Wake Forest University facility this offseason to begin a plyometric exercise routine to help improve his arm strength. Until now, his offensive and defensive work has required less effort.

Volpe has drawn several comparisons to a shortstop from the Yankees’ past — after all, Derek Jeter was a diehard Yankees fan when he was selected in the amateur draft — but Volpe tries to brush them off.

Sure, he would love to have a career like Jeter’s, but Volpe is focused on his own destiny.

“If you grow up a Yankees fan like I did, you know there won’t be another Derek Jeter,” Volpe said. “I am trying to be the best version of myself. I don’t think anyone compares to what he did.”