| Anthony Volpe | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Volpe with theSomerset Patriots in 2022 | |
| New York Yankees – No. 11 | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born: (2001-04-28)April 28, 2001 (age 23) New York City,New York, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| March 30, 2023, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics (through 2024 season) | |
| Batting average | .228 |
| Home runs | 33 |
| Runs batted in | 120 |
| Stolen bases | 52 |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Anthony Michael Volpe (born April 28, 2001) is an American professionalbaseballshortstop for theNew York Yankees ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). The Yankees selected Volpe in the first round of the2019 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2023, winning theAmerican LeagueGold Glove Award at shortstop in hisrookie year.
Volpe was born on April 28, 2001, atMount Sinai Hospital inManhattan, New York.[1] Both of Volpe's parents are doctors. His father, Michael, is aurologist and his mother, Isabelle, is ananesthesiologist.[2] Michael is ofItalian descent and Isabelle isFilipino. His paternal grandparents were born inNaples, Italy, and his mother was born and raised in thePhilippines.[3][4]
Anthony Volpe lived on theUpper East Side of Manhattan as a child. His family had partial season tickets to see the New York Yankees and he became a Yankees fan. He attended the Yankees'2009 World Series championship parade.[5] Volpe and his family moved toWatchung, New Jersey, when he was in thefourth grade.[6]
Volpe attendedDelbarton School inMorristown, New Jersey, where he played for the school's baseball team and was a teammate ofJack Leiter, who is an MLB pitcher.[7][8][9] As a senior, hebatted .488 with sevenhome runs, 34runs batted in (RBIs), and 17stolen bases.[10] He was named the 2019 New Jersey High School Player of the Year byPerfect Game.[11] Volpe committed to playcollege baseball atVanderbilt University.[12]
The Yankees selected Volpe in the first round, with the 30th overall selection of the2019 MLB draft.[13] He signed on June 10, receiving a $2.7 millionsigning bonus, and made his professional debut with thePulaski Yankees of the Rookie AdvancedAppalachian League.[14][15][16] Over 34 games, he batted .215 with two home runs and 11 RBIs.[17] During theCOVID-19 shutdown, which resulted in the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season, Volpe worked to gain muscle and improve his swing.[18]
Beginning the 2021 season, Volpe was assigned to theTampa Tarpons of theLow-A Southeast.[19] After slashing .302/.455/.623 with 12 home runs and 49 RBIs in 54games played, he was promoted to theHudson Valley Renegades ofHigh-A East.[20] 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 sinceAndruw Jones in 1996.[21][22]
The Yankees assigned Volpe to theSomerset Patriots of theDouble-AEastern League for the start of the 2022 season.[23] On June 26, he hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning against the visitingHartford 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.[24] In July, he represented theAmerican League at theAll-Star Futures Game.[25] Volpe batted .252 with 18 home runs and 60 RBIs in 109 games for Somerset and was promoted to theScranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of theTriple-AInternational League on September 2.[26]
In 2023, the Yankees invited Volpe tospring training as a non-roster player, where he competed withOswald Peraza for the starting shortstop role.[27] On March 26, 2023, the Yankees announced that Volpe had earned a spot on the team'sOpening Day roster as the starting shortstop.[28][29] He recorded his first major league hit in the second game of the season on April 1.[30] On April 14, he hit his first major league home run.[31] On May 10, 2023, he hit his first careergrand slam. He became the Yankees' first rookie shortstop to hit a grand slam.[32] On May 13, he set a record as the first player in Yankees history to steal his first 13 career bases without being caught.[33] On May 23, Volpe had his first walk-off plate appearance when he hit asac fly to drive in the winning run against theBaltimore Orioles.[34]
Volpe became the 15th MLB rookie to record both 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season.[35] However, his .283on-base percentage was the worst among qualified MLB players and his strikeout rate was 13th worst in the league.[36] He finished his rookie season with a .209 batting average, .666 OPS, 21 home runs, 60 RBIs, 24 stolen bases, and 23 doubles.[37] He received a single vote inAmerican League Rookie of the Year voting, finishing in eighth place.[38] He won the ALGold Glove Award at shortstop, becoming the first Yankee rookie to win the award.[39][40]
Volpe worked to improve his offense in the offseason, leveling his swing to improve his bat control in the upper part of the zone.[36] 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 through the first two months of play.[36] On April 1, 2024, he recorded his first four-hit game.[41] In May, he recorded a 21-gamehitting streak, the longest by a Yankees player in over a decade.[42] The streak cemented his role as the team's regular lead-off hitter through the first half of the season.[36] He was moved down in the lineup in July following a long offensive slump.[43] He finished the regular season with a .243 batting average, .657 OPS, 12 home runs, 60 RBI, and 28 stolen bases.[44]
In his firstpostseason, Volpe recorded a .287 batting average and .815 OPS with five stolen bases.[44] In Game 4 of the2024 World Series, he hit agrand slam, becoming the first player with four RBIs and two stolen bases in a World Series game.[45]
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.
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.
