The Yankees have a homegrown, feel-good, defensively excellent, already October-proven shortstop.
Do they have one of the better players in baseball? Eventually one of the better players in baseball? Eventually one of the best players in baseball?
What is Anthony Volpe’s ceiling?
“All-Star level player, year in and year out,” manager Aaron Boone said before Wednesday’s Game 5 of the World Series in The Bronx. “I think that’s what he’s capable of.”
There are plenty of doubts about what the Yankees will look like in 2025, ahead of an offseason in which Juan Soto and Gleyber Torres notably will hit free agency.
Their lineup, filled with questions behind Aaron Judge, would be far more dependable if Volpe grows into the player the Yankees believe he is growing into.
For a glimpse of the ideal Volpe future for the Yankees, consider Tuesday’s Game 4.
The reigning AL Gold Glove shortstop made a few strong defensive plays, including a sliding, backhanded stop on a Kiké Hernandez one-hopper to get a lead out at second. He stretched a single into a double in the eighth, stole third base (his second steal of the night) and got a good break and used a nice dive to score on a ground ball.
Oh, and he drilled the go-ahead grand slam for his first World Series home run.
“You just saw his complete game [Tuesday] night,” Boone said. “The quality of at-bat was there all night, as it has been all postseason. The defense. You saw the baserunning.
“… Just a tremendous all-around game, and a game he’s capable of.”
Through his first two major league seasons, Volpe has shown flashes at the plate, but merely flashes. Among qualified shortstops this season, Volpe’s .657 OPS was the 19th best. He began the season hot, cooled off significantly in June, bounced back in August and posted a miserable .432 OPS in September.
That September has been forgotten because of his October, entering Game 5 hitting .273 with a .794 OPS with five steals in his first 13 postseason games.
And at 23 and 184 days old, he became the third-youngest Yankee to hit a postseason grand slam, beaten only by Mickey Mantle and Gil McDougald. Volpe, born in New York and raised in New Jersey, was interviewed after the game by childhood hero Derek Jeter.
“It is pretty crazy to think about,” Volpe said of the interview. “It’s my dream, but it was all my friends’ dreams, all my cousins’ dreams, probably my sister’s dream, too.
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“But winning the World Series was first and foremost by far. Nothing else compares. So still got a lot of work to do.”
Maybe Volpe has found something at the plate that he can take into next season, which would be a significant development for the player and the team.
Volpe has been a below-average hitter for two big-league seasons, which can be forgiven for a player who compensates through excellent defense at a premium spot and solid baserunning, but there is still untapped potential.
“Defensively he’s been so great,” said Carlos Rodon, who would know. “I know offensively this year it’s not been super output, but he’s such a great baseball player. I mean, he’s so dynamic as far as where he can impact the game for us. His ability, his baseball knowledge, and his ability on defense, his ability with baserunning.
“He’s had an impact on a lot of these games, whether it’s stealing bags or defensively making some pretty incredible plays.”
Unlocking a new level — bringing October Volpe into April — would be critical for a team that likely would not make many splashy offensive upgrades if Soto can be retained.
A first-round pick in 2019 has been more solid than superstar, a supporting piece rather than a foundational one. There is room to grow, and his manager believes he still is growing.
“I think he’s been a big success in his first couple years,” Boone said. “I think there’s so much more in there, and there’s more development that needs to happen and I believe is happening and going to happen offensively, to where he’s going to get to be that finished product of what everyone hoped and envisioned.”
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