Anthony Volpe

The Yankees selected Volpe in the first round, with the 30th overall selection, of the 2019 MLB draft.[9][10] 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.[11][12][13] Over 34 games, he batted .215 with two home runs and 11 RBIs.[14] 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.[15] To begin the 2021 season, he was assigned to the Tampa Tarpons of the Low-A Southeast.[16] 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.[17] While with the club, he had a full-season, hitting 27 home runs and stealing 33 bases, becoming the Minor Leagues first 20-homer, 50-steal player since Andruw Jones in 1996 while reaching Triple-A.[18][19]

The Yankees assigned Volpe to the Somerset Patriots of the Double-A Eastern League for the start of the 2022 season.[20] On June 26, Volpe hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to a 6–5 win 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.[21] In July, Volpe represented the American League at the All-Star Futures Game.[22] 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.[23]

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.[24]

On March 26, 2023, the Yankees announced that Volpe had earned a spot on the team's Opening Day roster as the starting shortstop.[25][26]

In his major debut, Volpe went 0-for-2 with a walk in his first plate appearance and a stolen base. He also became 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.[27] Volpe recorded his first major league hit in the second game of the season on April 1.[28] He also became the first Yankee to steal at least one base in each of their first two Major League games, joining Fritz Maisel in 1913.[29]

In his first three games of his career, Volpe became the fifth player since 1901 to steal a base in each of his first three Major League games.[30] On April 14 during a game against the Minnesota Twins, Volpe connected for his first big league home run, a 394-foot blast off pitcher Louie Varland to left-center field.[31] He became the first Yankee (and seventh all-time) since Bobby Richardson (1959) with a lead-off home run for his first MLB career home run. Also, after Aaron Judge launched one hitting in the second spot behind Volpe, they became the 12th Yankees players of all-time leading off with back-to-back home runs in Yankees franchise history.[32]

On May 2, 2023, during a game against the Cleveland Guardians, Volpe sparked a comeback when he hit a home run to right field, then later in the game, stole two bases. He became the first Yankees player to do so at 22 years & 4 days old. He is 10-for-10 in steal attempts, which makes him just the fifth Yankee to have 10 stolen bases in his first 31 career games, joining former Yankees Bert Daniels (11 SB 1910), Cozy Dolan (14 SB 1911-12), and Fritz Maisel (13 SB in 1913), as well as joining Brett Gardner (10 SB in 2008) for the only two Yankees in the last 100 years to accomplish this feat.[33]

On May 10, 2023, during a game against the Oakland Athletics, Volpe hit his first career grand slam, a 419-foot, 107.4 MPH blast to centerfield off A's reliever Rico Garcia in only 38 games. 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), making it a 100-year-old record.[34] The only Yankees younger than Volpe to ever hit a grand slam in any other ballpark were Mickey Mantle (4 times) and Melky Cabrera.[35]

During a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 13, after laying down a bunt single, stealing second and third bases, then coming home on a wild pitch, Volpe became the first player in Yankees history to steal his first 13 career bases without being caught. He passed Joe DiMaggio, who stole 12 straight safely in three consecutive seasons (1936–38) until he was caught in 1939.[36]