Yankees Young Gun Makes Wave on Coveted List! Emerging Infielder Cracks Prestigious Ranking
The New York Yankees underwent several changes with their starting infield over the last few months.
Long-time second baseman Gleyber Torres departed in free agency, as did first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Third base remains a weak point, with DJ LeMahieu already injured and Oswaldo Cabrera expected to step into the lineup in place of the veteran.
Despite entering only his third season as a Major Leaguer, shortstop Anthony Volpe is, in some regard, the elder statesman of the infield.
LeMahieu may be longer tenured with the club, but amongst the starters, no one has been with the club as long as the young shortstop.
Playing that position for the Yankees is no small task since comparisons to the legendary Derek Jeter immediately follow.
Since Jeter retired in 2014, it has been a bit of a revolving door when it comes to finding a long-term replacement.
Volpe, a homegrown talent selected in the first-round of the 2019 MLB draft who grew up rooting for New York, could certainly be the answer the franchise has been looking for during those years.
His immense upside and potential is what helped him sneak onto the top 25 under the age of 25 list that Nick Selbe of Sports Illustrated recently put together.
“Volpe’s defense assures he’ll still be a valuable player, and if his hitting can progress, this ranking will prove to be far too conservative,” he wrote.
Glimpses of that offensive potential have shined through at times during his two years in the Majors.
He has put together a few torrid stretches during the regular season, but has not consistently been able to figure it out. For every hot streak he has, a cold streak follows.
In the 2024 playoffs, he was the team’s third-best player behind outfielder Juan Soto and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton. The moment wasn’t too big for him, which was encouraging as the legacies of Yankees players are made in October.
In his first taste of the playoffs, Volpe had a slash line of .286/.407/.408 across 59 plate appearances. He hit one home run with three doubles, adding five stolen bases with 10 runs scored and six RBI.
Volpe already has one 20/20 season on his resume from his rookie campaign, when he also won the Gold Glove Award.
With 6.7 WAR produced his first two years as a Major Leaguer, it is clear he has a lot of talent.
Putting it together consistently is the next step for the 23-year-old.
He could make a huge leap up these rankings should he figure it out at the plate, something he is showing signs of doing.
