New York Yankees prospect Anthony Volpe has been on the radar of even casual fans for a couple of years now.
The Yankees won’t rush rush Volpe, but he’ll be patrolling the infield at Yankee Stadium soon, likely by around midseason.
Given Volpe’s talent, age, and position, the comparisons to the great Derek Jeter have been inevitable almost since the Yankees drafted him in 2019.
The 21-year-old shortstop is MLB’s No. 5 ranked prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
Yankees legend Willie Randolph, who played second base for New York from 1976-1988, earning five All-Star nods, told the New York Post Thursday Volpe’s similarity to Jeter is almost an intangible “it” quality. He said former Yankees star Don Mattingly had the same “it” factor.
“Some of those guys have ‘it.’ You can see ‘it’ sometimes,” Randolph said in Bradenton, Florida (via Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post). “I see a little bit of ‘it’ in [Volpe] as far as his total focus.
“You have a young player who’s focused on getting better and focused on how to learn how to play the game. That’s stuff that really excites me.”
Now a special instructor with the Yankees, Randolph said Volpe is eager to learn everything about the game.
“From Day 1, he’s been right here with me. You can tell he wants to be the best,” Randolph said. “That’s when you know you got a chance as a coach, as someone who’s willing to give up my knowledge to him.
“When you have a player that’s really engaged, and he wants to work on not just the physical stuff but the IQ.”
The Volpe hype train is going to be more crowded than a midtown Manhattan subway at rush hour. The hot prospect hit his first home run of the spring Thursday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.