Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe are making Yankees' decision a tough one

 TAMPA, Fla. — A straw poll of six opposing team talent evaluators taken in recent days regarding the Yankees’ shortstop competition ended in a tie.

Three votes for Oswald Peraza. Three votes for Anthony Volpe.

“If you’re going strictly on defense, it’s Peraza,” one American League scout said. “Don’t get me wrong. I like Volpe. A lot. Just from a defense standpoint and how comfortable he looked last season [after a late-season call-up], I’d go Peraza. He also hit a little more [in the majors] than I thought he would.”

Countered a National League scout: “I’m putting Volpe out there and just letting him play. Hyped Yankees prospect. All the attention, and he’s handled everything well. I get the argument for Peraza, and he is better [at short], but Volpe gives you more pop, and whatever shortcomings are there [on defense], and there’s not many, he’ll figure it out and be good enough.”

The pro-and-con arguments from the scouts are similar to the back-and-forth discussions currently taking place about Peraza and Volpe — both of whom started at shortstop Saturday in split-squad games — behind the scenes in the Yankees’ organization.

Though general manager Brian Cashman said on Thursday, “We haven’t had any meetings” when it comes to drilling down on a decision, there nonetheless are daily conversations taking place about it.  

And among those who will be making the final call — and it will be a significant number of voices weighing in — it appears as if the 22-year-old Peraza and the 21-year-old Volpe both have their share of supporters.

In fact, two clear pictures emerge in talking with those on the inside: The Yankees don’t see many drawbacks with either player, and even though he is not on the 40-man roster, Volpe is being given real consideration for the job.

Much was made earlier in the week when Aaron Judge answered a question about his thoughts on starting a 21-year-old in the big leagues who has limited time in Triple-A, which is the case with Volpe.

“My thing has always been if you’re the best player, it shouldn’t matter your age,” Judge said. “You should be up helping the New York Yankees. If you’re 19 or if you’re 41, if you’re the best guy for the job, you should be playing.”

What wasn’t made  clear in some circles in relaying the Yankees captain’s answer was that Judge wasn’t advocating for one player or the other in the competition; he was simply explaining his philosophy on a specific scenario.  

Still, his comments resonated in some sectors of the organization — “oh, absolutely they were noticed,” one club insider said — as his words in many ways mirrored those spoken by the pro-Volpe crowd.  

After going 0-for-1 with a walk Saturday in a 6-3 loss to the Phillies, Volpe — whom more than a few on the inside and outside of the organization see as a good shortstop but perhaps a tremendous second baseman long-term — is hitting .286 (6-for-21) with a homer and a .947 OPS in eight games. Peraza, who has been playing his usual standout defense, is hitting .200 (3-for-15) with a double and a .600 OPS in six games after going 0-for-3 against the Pirates in Bradenton.  

Volpe has been quoted far more often in spring training than Peraza has, which should not be taken as being indicative of anything other than the latter uses an interpreter when speaking to the media.  

Both rookies “do a lot of the same things well,” one veteran player said, and both have impressed  older teammates with their demeanors, work ethic and skill sets.

The Yankees are unlikely to take  both Peraza — who started two of the four ALCS games at shortstop last October and remains the favorite to land the job — and Volpe north at the conclusion of camp. But it’s not impossible. Injuries to other infielders could necessitate it, and the Yankees have received nibbles from other teams about Gleyber Torres, so a trade of some kind can never be ruled out.

“I’m open-minded to hear everybody’s opinion, from our pro scouting department, our major-league field staff, as well as the manager, front office, analytic side, player development,” Cashman said of the competition. “They’ll have their contributions. Hal Steinbrenner certainly will be a part of that. And then we’ll make a decision.”