The Yankees’ most recent franchise shortstop has a message for what the team hopes will be their next one.
Derek Jeter gave a shoutout to Anthony Volpe Wednesday morning on Twitter, one day before the 21-year-old from Watchung, N.J. is set to make his MLB debut at shortstop in The Bronx.
“Congratulations @Volpe_Anthony,” Jeter wrote. “There’s nothing like playing shortstop for the New York Yankees.”
Volpe, the Yankees’ top prospect, won the team’s shortstop competition with an impressive all-around performance throughout spring training.
The Yankees certainly have high hopes for Volpe, though it is unfair at this stage to expect him to be the next Jeter.
Jeter, the 1996 AL Rookie of the Year, led the Yankees to five World Series titles and earned 14 All-Star nods.
His No. 2 was retired by the Yankees and was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2021.
After he got the news that he made the team on Sunday from manager Aaron Boone, Volpe said he “was probably pretty blacked out.”
“If I had a heart-rate monitor on, it would probably be my max ever heart rate,” Volpe said.
Volpe beat out fellow prospect Oswald Peraza and veteran incumbent Isiah Kiner-Falefa for the job.
The Yankees had an inkling early in camp that Volpe would separate himself.
“We knew IKF could defend it, we knew Peraza could take it and we knew Volpe could rise above them all,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Monday. “We all were open-minded to seeing how it would play out. Anybody watching can’t deny the fact that Anthony won that battle and he’s earned that shot.”
