Yankees prospect Anthony Volpe's future could be at second base
Minnesota Twins centerfielder Michael A. Taylor (2) is forced out as New York Yankees second baseman Anthony Volpe throws to first on a double play off the bat of Andrew Bechtold in the fifth inning of a spring training baseball game in Fort Myers, Fla., Monday, March 13, 2023. Credit: AP/Gerald Herbert
FORT MYERS, Fla.
Second base would seem to be a strange place to regularly play your next franchise shortstop, especially one competing for the Opening Day job, but Anthony Volpe was there again for Monday’s matinee against the Twins.
This was Volpe’s fifth game at the other position in spring training, as compared to six at short. His double-play partner Monday? Volpe’s primary competitor, Oswald Peraza.
The Yankees have explained away this revolving-door policy between their middle-infield prospects as a strategy to make sure everyone gets enough playing time, with incumbent Isiah Kiner-Falefa also in the mix and super-utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera always needing to put his half-dozen gloves to use. But deploying Volpe at second is not as simple as creating an adequate number of at-bats in the Grapefruit League, and it goes beyond merely scouting the other candidates.
With plenty of opinions, both inside the organization and out, suggesting that Volpe’s career path runs through second base, this has been the Yankees’ first real opportunity to test that theory in any meaningful way. And while they currently have a two-time All-Star residing at the position in Gleyber Torres, knowing that Volpe is capable there could further prod general manager Brian Cashman to make an infield-thinning trade with two weeks left in spring training.
Volpe again looked up to speed Monday at second base, expertly turning a pair of 6-4-3 double plays, with Peraza delivering perfect chest-high throws. Seeing those two together made it easy to envision such a tandem in the Bronx before too long. But at the moment, Peraza should have the inside trade for the Opening Day shortstop’s job because of his slight edge defensively and a convincing performance in pinstripes after a September call-up last season (which included starts in the playoffs).
“He looks the part,” manager Aaron Boone said of Peraza before Monday’s 1-0 loss to the Twins. “He came in ready to go. I feel like his body is where it should be. And I think he continues to show that he’s a good and promising player.”
The safe pick is Peraza for Opening Day while letting Volpe — barring any vacancy at second base — build some momentum at Triple-A Scranton. Should Peraza get off to a shaky start, combined with Volpe proving that he’s outgrown the minors, then the Yankees can reassess.
Despite Aaron Judge’s comments last week about the Yankees needing to take the best players north, regardless of age, no roster decision is made in a vacuum. Those moves affect the big-picture blueprint of the franchise, even if service-time manipulation has been curbed to some degree with new rules that were put into last year’s collective bargaining agreement.
The Yankees insist the shortstop competition remains wide-open at this stage. But can two more weeks of Grapefruit League games really change their thinking after what they’ve already witnessed?
From a statistical standpoint, Volpe is hitting .321 (9-for-28) with a pair of homers and four doubles in 10 games. He went 1-for-3 Monday, picking up a hustle double in the third inning when leftfielder Kyle Garlick lost his high fly ball in the sun.
Volpe’s most impressive efforts, however, were the two nifty double-play turns, displaying quick hands and great footwork. Not the easiest for a shortstop moonlighting on the other side of the bag, with his back to the runner.
Volpe credited his familiarity with second base to splitting time there growing up, as well as all the intensive work put in with the staff in spring training. But since being drafted by the Yankees in 2019, he’s played only two games at the position (18 innings) — one each at Low-A Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley — out of 250 minor-league games overall.
On Monday, when I asked Volpe about playing second and mentioned how comfortable he looked on the double plays there, he replied, “Thanks,” the sort of response we’ve come to expect from the polished youngster since he arrived in Tampa last month for his first big-league camp. There’s really nothing Volpe hasn’t taken in stride, and that includes these occasional position switches.
“The one thing that’s nice is to get some reps in the game because you can turn them in practice all you want, but the game is something I wasn’t used to,” Volpe said. “It’s definitely nice to see different angles, different throws, how I move my feet without seeing the runner coming.”
This time of year, it’s all about preparation, whether it’s for the team’s designed plans or scenarios that have yet to surface. There’s no point in the Yankees committing to a course of action until they’ve analyzed the myriad possibilities, and continuing to shuffle their infield pieces is part of that process.
Where Volpe winds up come Opening Day still seems very much up in the air — be it shortstop, second base or Scranton — but none of it needs to be rushed. And Volpe is making it a difficult decision.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
