The Yankees pranked star prospect Anthony Volpe before revealing he made Opening Day roster
Shortstop Anthony Volpe entered spring training with the New York Yankees as the No. 5 overall prospect in Major League Baseball at just 21 year old with the eyes of the organization watching his every move.
Needless to say, the Yankees loved what they saw.
Just two years after drafting Volpe out of high school No. 30 overall in 2019, the infielder became the first minor league player with a 20-home run, 50-steal season since Andruw Jones in 1995. He continued that dominance this spring by slashing .314/.417/.647 with three home runs and in 17 games.
The Yankees were obviously enamored. Naming Volpe to the Opening Day roster was not only the easy decision, but the right one. And judging from the fake out New York manager Aaron Boone gave Volpe to let him know he made the team, it was also extremely fun.
Welcome to The Show, AV! pic.twitter.com/Gq5VMRvqN0
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 26, 2023
“There’s always room for development, but in the end, I think that development should happen in the big leagues,” Boone said deadpan before pounding his hand on the table.
“Welcome to New York.”
Chills. Literal chills.
You can see Volpe’s soul nearly leave his body as Boone goes to shake his hand. Even after Volpe had some time to process the news it still seemed hard for him to grasp. His smile, however, said everything.
Anthony Volpe reacts after being told he will be on the #Yankees’ Opening Day roster: pic.twitter.com/iaJDHeCT8T
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) March 26, 2023
Baseball, you've done it again. @Volpe_Anthony pic.twitter.com/LuN57Ij2vv
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 26, 2023
Assuming he gets into the lineup on Opening Day, the New Jersey native will be the youngest player to start the season at shortstop in The Bronx since some guy named Derek Jeter.
And much like a 21-year-old Jeter did in 1996, Volpe will be a favorite to win Rookie of the Year in 2023.
There’s plenty of reason to believe Volpe could win it, too.
The shortstop will be buoyed by a lineup featuring some of the game’s most feared hitters, including Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, which makes it rather tough for teams pitch around him. That makes an already dangerous player on the base-paths even more of a threat to steal and create runs.
At the same time, New York has plenty of depth at shortstop with Oswald Peraza able to step right in should Volpe struggle. That doesn’t seem likely the way Volpe is playing now, but the pressure of holding down shortstop for the Yankees is one of the tougher asks in baseball thanks to the legacy left by Jeter.
Volpe has proven he deserves the opportunity. He made it impossible for New York to tell him otherwise.
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