| Anthony Volpe | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Volpe with the Somerset Patriots in 2022 | |
| New York Yankees – No. 11 | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born: April 28, 2001 New York City, New York, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| March 30, 2023, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics (through 2023 season) | |
| Batting average | .209 |
| Home runs | 21 |
| Runs batted in | 60 |
| Stolen bases | 24 |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Medals | |
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.
Born at Mount Sinai Hospital,[1] Volpe spent his early years on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, a borough of New York City. 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.[2]
Both of Volpe's parents are doctors. His father, Michael, is a urologist, and his mother, Isabelle, is an anesthesiologist.[3] Michael Volpe is of Italian descent, and Isabelle Volpe is of Filipino descent.[4][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]
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]
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 that Volpe had earned a spot on the team's Opening Day roster as the starting shortstop.[27][28]
In his major league debut, Volpe went 0-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base. He is the youngest player to start a Yankees season opener since Derek Jeter in 1996, and the first Yankees position player to make his major league debut by starting on Opening Day since Hideki Matsui in 2003.[29] Volpe recorded his first major league hit in the second game of the season on April 1.[30] He also became the first Yankee to steal at least one base in each of his first two Major League games.[31]
Volpe is the fifth player since 1901 to steal a base in each of his first three Major League games.[32] On April 14, during a game against the Minnesota Twins, Volpe hit his first big-league home run.[33] He became the first Yankee since Bobby Richardson (1959) to hit a leadoff home run for his first MLB career home run.[34]
Volpe started the 2023 season by going 10-for-10 in steal attempts.[35] On May 10, 2023, during a game against the Oakland Athletics, Volpe hit his first career grand slam. He became the Yankees' first rookie to hit a grand slam in a game at the shortstop position. Volpe also became the youngest Yankees player (22 years and 12 days old) to hit a grand slam at Yankee Stadium (any version of the stadium).[36] The only Yankee younger than Volpe to ever hit grand slams in other ballparks were Mickey Mantle (four times) and Melky Cabrera.[37]
During a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 13, after laying down a bunt single, stealing second and third bases, and coming home on a wild pitch, Volpe set a record as the first player in Yankees history to steal his first 13 career bases without being caught.[38] He passed Joe DiMaggio, who stole 12 straight safely in three consecutive seasons (1936–38) until he was caught in 1939.[39] On May 23, Volpe had his first walk-off plate appearance with an RBI when he hit a sac fly to deep centerfield to drive in the winning run against the Baltimore Orioles.[40]
On June 21, Volpe made Yankees history when he hit his 10th home run of the season during a game against the Seattle Mariners. With 10-plus home runs and 15-plus stolen bases in a season, he joined Yankee rookies Alfonso Soriano (2001), Bobby Brown (1980), and Tony Lazzeri (1926).[41]
Volpe hit his 15th home run during a game against the Miami Marlins, smashing a three-run shot in the opening game of the series.[42] With that home run, he became the second rookie in Yankees history to hit 15 or more home runs and steal 20 or more bases in a season. He joined second baseman Alfonso Soriano, who achieved the feat in 2001.[43]
On September 1, Volpe hit his 20th home run during a game against the Detroit Tigers. Volpe also became the 15th MLB rookie with a 20 home run, 20 stolen base season, joining rookie Corbin Carroll as the second rookie this season to achieve this feat. The only other rookies with two 20-20 seasons were Julio Rodríguez and Bobby Witt Jr. (2022), and Ellis Burks and Devon White (1987). Volpe also became the third rookie shortstop in MLB history to pass the 20 home run, 20 stolen base mark, alongside Bobby Witt Jr. and Nomar Garciaparra.[44]
Volpe was one of two rookies to record at least 20 home runs, 20 stolen bases, and 10 defensive runs saved in a single season since Mike Trout accomplished the feat in 2012.[45] He finished his rookie season with 21 home runs, 60 RBIs, 24 stolen bases, 23 doubles, and a .209/.283/.383 slash line.[46] He excelled defensively, however, winning the AL Gold Glove Award at shortstop, becoming the first Yankee rookie to win the award.[47][48]
