Volpe FAQ: From Yanks fan to Opening Day shortstop
Bryan Hoch
@BryanHochThe pageantry of an Opening Day at Yankee Stadium is second to none -- the red, white and blue bunting fluttering in a chilly breeze, a packed and bundled house cheering loudly as each Yankees player jogs to the first-base line, clad in their bright white and pinstripes.
Anthony Volpe is about to experience it all for the first time.
“I don’t really know how to put words to how I expect to feel,” Volpe said. “Weirdly enough, a lot of Opening Day games are during the day, during the week. I didn’t really catch too many of those, because I was in school.”
That’s right -- as Derek Jeter spent all of those March and April afternoons acknowledging the chants of the Bleacher Creatures, Volpe might have been in a classroom, studying biology or chemistry. On Thursday, he’ll be creating history as the youngest player to appear in a Yankees Opening Day lineup since Jeter in 1996.
“I’m just looking forward to playing,” Volpe said. “That’s the beauty of any Opening Day. It’s the start of a new season and hopefully the start of something great. I don’t want to think too much about it or how I would want it to go. I just want to be in the moment and enjoy every second.”
How will the Yankees use him?
Volpe will be the starting shortstop, and manager Aaron Boone said he will likely bat Volpe ninth in the Opening Day lineup. Boone allowed himself some wiggle room there, saying that we might see Volpe bat eighth, and he also suggested that Volpe could hit leadoff on days when DJ LeMahieu is not in the lineup.
What can we expect from Volpe offensively?
This spring, Volpe was one of the club’s offensive standouts, batting .309 (17-for-55) with six doubles, a triple, three homers and five RBIs in 19 exhibition games. Showcasing a blend of contact ability, power and speed, the confident and polished Volpe walked nine times, stole five bases and struck out 15 times in his first big league camp.
He made an impression right from the start, as managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner noted: in his first game on Feb. 26 against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla., Volpe generated a run by lacing a fourth-inning single, stealing second and third bases, then scoring on a double-play grounder.
“He’s a great kid,” Steinbrenner said. “I’ve heard from other players, including [Aaron] Judge, that he conducts himself in a very professional way for someone his age. And that’s good, because he’s going to need all of that to play where we play.”
Defensively?
Arm strength was one of the knocks against Volpe early in his pro career, prompting some evaluators to wonder if a shift to second base would be necessary. Volpe attacked that issue during the 2021-22 offseason, improving his arm strength and accuracy by working with weighted baseballs and a pitching coach at Wake Forest University.
As he outplayed Oswald Peraza and Isiah Kiner-Falefa this spring, Volpe proved reliable on the routine plays and made a few exceptional ones too. In the Yanks’ exhibition on Tuesday, Volpe ranged to his left to steal a hit from the Nationals’ CJ Abrams.
What number will he wear?
Volpe has decided upon No. 11, last worn by Brett Gardner. In fact, Volpe asked for Gardner’s blessing to take the lowest number still in circulation, according to the YES Network’s Jack Curry. Volpe favored No. 7 during his Minor League career, as his grandfather was a Mickey Mantle fan. He considered sticking with No. 77, which he wore during Spring Training. But the choice is No. 11, so if you had one for the Gardy party, your gameday attire just became a hot choice.
How old is Volpe?
Born on April 28, 2001, Volpe will be 21 years and 336 days old on Opening Day. The last Yankee that young to start on Opening Day was Jeter, who was 21 years and 281 days old in ’96.
Where is he from?
Born in Watchung, N.J., to parents Michael and Isabelle, a urologist and anesthesiologist, Volpe spent his early childhood living on Manhattan’s Upper East Side before moving to New Jersey during fourth grade. He is a graduate of the Delbarton School in Morristown, N.J., where he was a teammate of the Rangers’ Jack Leiter.
Was he a Yankees fan growing up?
Big time. Volpe’s family shared a partial-season ticket plan in 2009, when they sat in the 200 level down the left-field line. He’d arrive early to watch batting practice, almost always wearing Jeter’s No. 2 on his back, and marvel at Alex Rodríguez’s pregame throwing routine. More often than not, the home team would win.
“I just remember, that year, there were so many walk-offs,” Volpe said. “We went to one of the games where Melky Cabrera hit a walk-off home run (April 22 vs. Oakland). It felt like that year, there was a walk-off once a week -- and it was pretty cool to be there for one of those.”
How did the Yankees acquire him?
Volpe was the Yankees’ first-round selection (30th overall) in the 2019 MLB Draft, receiving a $2,740,300 million signing bonus ($374,800 over slot) to forego a commitment to Vanderbilt University.
After losing the 2020 season to the pandemic, Volpe hit .294/.423/.604 in 109 games for Class-A Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley in 2021, earning a promotion to Double-A Somerset to open the ’22 campaign. Volpe wrapped that season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he played 22 games before making the leap to the Bronx.