If you’re competing for a job in Spring Training, then a .353/.450/.647 slash line with one home run and three steals on March 9 is a pretty darn good start.
That was Anthony Volpe’s line heading into Thursday’s game against the Red Sox, and, well, while ideally the Yankees would love to give him a little more seasoning at Triple-A, the former first-round pick and potential future face of the franchise is pushing the envelope for a job in the Bronx.
A job that the current face of the franchise thinks he’s ready for if given.
“I think he’s got all the makeup tools,” Aaron Judge said of Volpe Wednesday. “He checks a lot of boxes defensively and offensively; he’s a tough at-bat and he’s got the speed, which is a big factor now in the game.”
Yankees fans got a look at what could be a keystone combo of the near future Thursday, as Volpe started at second base while Oswald Peraza got the nod at short. Of the three players theoretically competing for the “open lane” at short, Volpe has gotten the least amount of time there, but he has out-performed both Peraza and Isiah Kiner-Falefa offensively this spring, and is a much bigger part of the future than at least the latter, who is in his final year before free agency.
Volpe did start a nice 4-6-3 double play in the third inning of Thursday’s game, and perhaps that increased versatility is what will get him to MLB a little sooner, a la Oswaldo Cabrera?
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Judge seems to hope so.
“My thing has always been, if you’re the best player, it shouldn’t matter your age. You should be up helping the New York Yankees,” Judge said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re 19 or 41. If you’re the best guy for the job, you should be playing.”
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