Yankees' Oswald Peraza has natural look of shortstop 

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Anthony Volpe already has made a good impression — and in doing so, elicited a string of superlatives from his teammates and manager — just a handful of games into spring training.

The hyped 21-year-old, the club’s first-round draft pick in 2019, is in the early stages of the open competition to see who the starting shortstop will be for the Yankees March 30 on Opening Day at the Stadium against the Giants.

Oswald Peraza has gone a bit more under the radar in the competition — one which he very much has a chance to win — so far.

And that’s not a surprise in the least.

The 22-year-old Peraza started at short Tuesday afternoon in the Yankees’ 12-0 loss to the Rays at ESPN Wide World of Sports complex and went 1-for-3 and handled two routine chances in the field.  More often than not Peraza has been overshadowed by Volpe during their respective climbs through the minors.  

But that’s only from fans and media.

Both players are highly regarded by the Yankees and those from rival clubs assigned to cover their system.

And when it comes to their respective futures, there are more than a few who believe Peraza, signed at 16 for just $175,000 in 2016 out of Venezuela, is the more likely of the two to remain at shortstop long-term.

“Volpe looks super comfortable at second,” one opposition talent evaluator said. “Looks and moves like a second baseman. I really like both players and Volpe can certainly play short, but Peraza is the more natural of the two there [at shortstop].”

The Yankees prudently would never say that publicly.

Their plan for those competing for the job — and that includes the incumbent Isiah Kiner-Falefa and, to a lesser extent Oswaldo Cabrera (who is more likely to make the club as an important utility player) — is to move the quartet around throughout the spring.

Volpe, for instance, played second and acquitted himself well there Monday night against the Tigers, and he’ll play third, Aaron Boone said, likely “in a couple of days.”

Boone said Peraza will eventually see some time at second but was less specific.

And in evaluating Peraza in the field, Boone, who played 12 years in the big leagues and was viewed as a very good third baseman, came close to describing him as a “natural” shortstop.

Scouts have talked about Peraza’s “internal clock” when it comes to the position, something Boone agreed with.

“I would say he plays that position with ease,” Boone said. “And I think when you have quote, that internal clock, it allows you to do that. Just knowing how to make the plays and I feel like that's something watching him that stands out to me. He looks like a shortstop out there. He’s got the natural arm for shortstop, his actions look like a shortstop. He's got good foot speed and athleticism to be able to range, but I think the clock’s all part of that.”

Peraza made his big-league debut late last season and, when given limited opportunities, did not appear overmatched. Because of Kiner-Falefa’s inconsistencies in the field, Peraza even got two postseason starts, in Games 2 and 4 of the American League Championship Series against the Astros.

How much could that experience benefit the young player?

“I hope very,” Boone said. “We certainly wanted him up around the situation [the majors], not knowing how much he would play. The fact that when he did play, he had success, hopefully it's something that serves him well going into this year.”

Peraza said getting a taste of the majors, where he picked the brains of veteran teammates such as Aaron Judge and “most of the infielders” on a variety of topics, serves as motivation.

“Once you go to the big leagues and you experience that level of baseball, you definitely want to be playing at that level,” Peraza said Tuesday through his interpreter. “And that’s my goal. My goal is to try to win this competition and establish myself as a shortstop in the big leagues.”