Even though the Yankees just couldn’t admit defeat with Isiah Kiner-Falefa, you have to give them credit. They’re willing to let all options have a legit shot at winning the starting shortstop job. Could it actually be Anthony Volpe?
It’s probably still a long shot based on his situation (i.e. no real Triple-A seasoning and lots of veteran middle infielders on the roster). But he’s played so well that he just might force New York’s hand to give him the job.
In addition to playing some good defense, the 21-year-old has looked quite comfortable at the plate. Through 47 Grapefruit League at-bats, Volpe owns a .967 OPS with three homers, five RBI, and five stolen bases.
With Harrison Bader starting the year on the injured list, the Yankees could use his speed. Plus, you can’t say he wouldn’t fit into a projected Opening Day lineup nicely.
His third homer of the spring came on Friday afternoon. And just because we can’t get enough Volpe right now, here are all three of those dingers in one clip:
Here are all three of Anthony Volpe’s #springtraining home runs because…well, we wanted to see them all in one spot. #Yankees #RepBX pic.twitter.com/0haxrvMkLv
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) March 24, 2023
Just beautiful, right? It’ll be great to see that sweet swing in the Bronx this year. Even if it doesn’t happen next week, the clock is most definitely ticking now. I mean, it was already a matter of “when”, not “if”. Either way, Anthony Volpe has done a great job of accelerating his timeline even more over the past five weeks.
MORE ON ESNY:
• This is exactly why Mets aren’t rushing to replace Edwin Diaz in bullpen
• Jets’ Mekhi Becton appears ready to protect Aaron Rodgers
• Mets’ Max Scherzer finishes off dominant spring with lots of strikeouts
• Mets’ Darin Ruf having a great spring … it’s just that nobody has seen it
• MLB to bat boys and bat girls: Move fast or get the hell out
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
