Anthony Volpe

Last updated

Anthony Volpe
Anthony Volpe (52073955522).jpg
Volpe with the Somerset Patriots in 2022
New York Yankees – No. 11
Shortstop
Born: (2001-04-28) April 28, 2001 (age 23)
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
March 30, 2023, for the New York Yankees
Men's baseball
Representing Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
U-12 Baseball World Cup
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2013 Taipei Team
U-15 Baseball World Cup
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2016 Iwaki Team
COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championship
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2018 Panama Team

Anthony Michael Volpe (born April 28, 2001) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023, winning the American League Gold Glove Award at shortstop in his rookie year.

Contents

Early life and amateur career

Volpe was born on April 28, 2001, at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, a borough of New York City. [1] Both of Volpe's parents are doctors. His father, Michael, is a urologist, and his mother, Isabelle, is an anesthesiologist. [2] Michael Volpe is of Italian descent, and Isabelle Volpe is of Filipino descent. [3] [4]

Volpe spent his early years living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. His family had partial season tickets to see the New York Yankees and Volpe became a fan of the Yankees. Volpe's family moved to Watchung, New Jersey, when he was in the fourth grade. [5]

Volpe attended Delbarton School in Morristown, New Jersey, where he played for the school's baseball team and was a teammate of Jack Leiter. [6] [7] [8] As a senior, he batted .488 with seven home runs, 34 runs batted in (RBIs), and 17 stolen bases. [9] He was named the 2019 New Jersey High School Player of the Year by Perfect Game. [10] Volpe committed to play college baseball at Vanderbilt University. [11]

Professional career

Minor leagues

The Yankees selected Volpe in the first round, with the 30th overall selection of the 2019 MLB draft. [12] He signed on June 10, receiving a $2.7 million signing bonus, and made his professional debut with the Pulaski Yankees of the Rookie Advanced Appalachian League. [13] [14] [15] Over 34 games, he batted .215 with two home runs and 11 RBIs. [16] During the COVID-19 shutdown, which resulted in the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season, Volpe worked to gain muscle and improve his swing. [17]

To begin the 2021 season, Volpe was assigned to the Tampa Tarpons of the Low-A Southeast. [18] After slashing .302/.455/.623 with 12 home runs and 49 RBIs in 54 games played, Volpe was promoted to the Hudson Valley Renegades of High-A East. [19] He spent a full season with the club, hitting 27 home runs and stealing 33 bases. Volpe is the minor leagues' first 20-homer, 50-steal player since Andruw Jones in 1996. [20] [21]

The Yankees assigned Volpe to the Somerset Patriots of the Double-A Eastern League for the start of the 2022 season. [22] On June 26, Volpe hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning against the visiting Hartford Yard Goats. His solo homer delivered the Eastern League Northeast Division first-half title to the Somerset Patriots in a winner-take-all game between the division's top two teams. [23] In July, Volpe represented the American League at the All-Star Futures Game. [24] Volpe batted .252 with 18 home runs and 60 RBIs in 109 games for Somerset and was promoted to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Triple-A International League on September 2. [25]

Major leagues

2023

In 2023, the Yankees invited Volpe to spring training as a non-roster player, where he competed with Oswald Peraza for the starting shortstop role. [26] On March 26, 2023, the Yankees announced Volpe had earned a spot on the team's Opening Day roster as the starting shortstop. [27] [28]

Volpe recorded his first major league hit in the second game of the season on April 1. [29] On April 14, during a game against the Minnesota Twins, Volpe hit his first major league home run. [30] On May 10, 2023, during a game against the Oakland Athletics, Volpe hit his first career grand slam. He became the Yankees' first rookie shortstop to hit a grand slam. [31] On May 13, Volpe set a record as the first player in Yankees history to steal his first 13 career bases without being caught. [32] On May 23, Volpe had his first walk-off plate appearance when he hit a sac fly to drive in the winning run against the Baltimore Orioles. [33]

Volpe became the 15th MLB rookie to record both 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season. [34] However, his .283 on-base percentage was the worst among qualified MLB players and his strikeout rate was 13th worst in the league. [35] He finished his rookie season with a .209/.283/.383 slash line, 21 home runs, 60 RBIs, 24 stolen bases, and 23 doubles. [36] He won the AL Gold Glove Award at shortstop, becoming the first Yankee rookie to win the award. [37] [38]

2024

Volpe worked to improve his offense in the offseason, leveling his swing to improve his bat control in the upper part of the zone. [35] He quickly improved his offensive profile to start the 2024 season, cutting his strikeout rate in half while increasing his walk rate and on-base percentage. [35] On April 1, 2024, he recorded his first four-hit game. [39] In May, he recorded a 21-game hitting streak, the longest by a Yankees player in over a decade. [40] The streak cemented his role as the team's regular lead-off hitter. [35]

See also

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References

  1. Miller, Randy (March 31, 2023). "At 2 hours old, Yankees' Anthony Volpe was prepped for his destiny". NJ.com. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  2. "Who is Anthony Volpe, Yankees' next Derek Jeter". PinstripesNation.com. March 31, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  3. Chowdhury, Oindrila (March 27, 2023). "Living the dream: A closer look at New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe's heritage". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  4. Angeles, Steve (March 27, 2023). "Yankees name Fil-Am Anthony Volpe as opening day shortstop". news.abs-cbn.com. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  5. "Volpe FAQ: From Yanks fan to Opening Day shortstop". MLB.com.
  6. Caldera, Pete (June 6, 2019). "Yankees look to team Delbarton's Anthony Volpe, Jack Leiter again in the Bronx, eventually". NorthJersey.com.
  7. Havsy, Jane (June 3, 2019). "Delbarton duo Leiter, Volpe could be selected in first round of MLB Draft". USATodayHSS.com.
  8. "Top New Jersey 2019 MLB Draft Prospects". www.baseballamerica.com. May 28, 2019.
  9. "Get to know Yankees 2019 first-round draft pick Anthony Volpe". SNY.com. June 3, 2019.
  10. "High School Players of the Year". Perfect Game. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  11. "Anthony Volpe Class of 2019 - Player Profile". Perfect Game.
  12. "Yankees pick Anthony Volpe at No. 30 overall in the 2019 MLB Draft". lohud.com. June 3, 2019.
  13. "New York Yankees first-round pick Anthony Volpe signs with team". The Record. June 10, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  14. Rowe, John. "New York Yankees' first-round pick Anthony Volpe adjusting to pro baseball". NorthJersey.com.
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  16. "Yankees prospect Anthony Volpe, N.J. Native, short on tools and size, but has skills to overcome 'lower-side pick' rep". NJ.com. June 6, 2020.
  17. "How Yankees prospect, N.J. Native Anthony Volpe made 'huge' stride despite COVID shutdown". NJ.com. February 10, 2021.
  18. "Why Yankees promote 2 shortstop prospects, but not raking Anthony Volpe". NJ.com. June 8, 2021.
  19. Martelli, A. J. (August 11, 2021). "Prized Yankees prospect Anthony Volpe thriving with Hudson Valley Renegades". Poughkeepsie Journal. Retrieved March 26, 2023. The trade deadline came and went without any change in locale. Although the Yankees made significant moves, Volpe wasn't traded. He remained a member of the Hudson Valley Renegades, and has continued to be a major contributor since being promoted to the Fishkill-based club on July 13.
  20. "Anthony Volpe debut on opening day". MLB.com. March 28, 2023.
  21. Martelli, A. J. (September 7, 2021). "Renegades' Anthony Volpe involved in bizarre ejection on home run". Poughkeepsie Journal. Retrieved March 26, 2023. Volpe's home run was his 12th as a member of the Renegades and 24th overall this season. The 20-year-old shortstop was promoted from Low-A Tampa on July 13 and has impressed over the summer with Hudson Valley.
  22. "Yankees No. 1 Prospect Anthony Volpe Assigned To Somerset". MiLB.com.
  23. "Volpe's walk-off delivers division to Somerset". MLB.com.
  24. "Futures Game a confidence validator for Volpe". MLB.com.
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  30. "Anthony Volpe's first career HR | April 14, 2023". MLB.com. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  31. "Yankees sweep A's behind Volpe's historic grand slam". MLB.com.
  32. Wilson, Alexander (May 14, 2023). "Yankees' Anthony Volpe sets impressive franchise record". empiresportsmedia.com. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  33. "No surprise: Judge hits tying HR, setting stage for Volpe walk-off". MLB.com.
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  35. 1 2 3 4 Thosar, Deesha. "Three reasons why Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe is breaking out". Fox Sports. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  36. "Major League Leaderboards - 2023 - Batting". FanGraphs Baseball.
  37. Joyce, Greg (November 5, 2023). "Yankees' Anthony Volpe wins historic Golf Glove to cap rookie season". New York Post . Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  38. Hoch, Bryan (November 5, 2023). "Volpe becomes 1st Yankees rookie to win Gold Glove". MLB.com . MLB Advanced Media . Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  39. Kirschner, Chris. "Yankees' Anthony Volpe's at-bats 'look dangerous' in Year 2". The New York Times.
  40. Hickey, Kevin. "New York Yankees' Anthony Volpe snaps hitting streak at 21 games". Sporting News. Retrieved June 9, 2024.