Yankees top prospect Volpe wins starting SS job

Top prospect Anthony Volpe will start at shortstop for the New York Yankees after an undeniable spring training performance vaulted him to the coveted job, the team announced Sunday.

Volpe, 21, will travel back to the Bronx on Wednesday and join the starting lineup Thursday against the San Francisco Giants following a spring in which he batted .314/.417/.647 with three home runs and 10 extra-base hits in 17 games.

He was informed of the decision by manager Aaron Boone on Sunday afternoon.

Welcome to The Show, AV! pic.twitter.com/Gq5VMRvqN0

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 26, 2023

The No. 3 overall prospect in MLB, according to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, Volpe joined the Yankees out of a New Jersey high school as the 30th pick of the 2019 draft. In his first full season, 2021, Volpe established himself as one of the best prospects in baseball, and he followed it with a standout 2022 that ended at AAA.

In 275 minor league games, Volpe has hit .263/.376/.505 with 50 home runs and 89 stolen bases.

Still, he was an underdog heading into spring training, with Oswald Peraza, another frontline shortstop prospect, expected to earn the job. While Peraza struggled, Volpe thrived and received the support of teammates who were smitten by not only his talent but his maturity.

Volpe will be the youngest Yankees shortstop since Derek Jeter debuted at 20 in 1995 and only the second homegrown shortstop since Jeter’s retirement in 2014, along with Gleyber Torres.