Anthony Volpe showing October glimpse of complete player Yankees believe in: So much more in there
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...