DUNEDIN, Fla. — In his first start in a big-league Yankees uniform, Anthony Volpe showed more than flashes of his potential.
In the sample size of about half a game, the organization’s top-ranked prospect sketched a vision of what his — and the Yankees’ — future could look like.
From the very first pitch until he was removed before the sixth inning, the young shortstop put on a show Sunday. Volpe blistered several pitches — two of which landed for hits — and used his legs to take an extra base, plus stole two more. A bases-loaded double play was the only swing that went wrong in a strong 2-for-4 afternoon in Volpe’s first-ever start in the Grapefruit League.
“It was great to get back on the field and compete again,“ Volpe said after scoring two runs as the split-squad Yankees beat the Blue Jays, 9-5, at TD Ballpark. “It was a lot of fun.”
Volpe, who made Grapefruit League cameos off the bench last year, is competing for a job this year. The New Jerseyan and 2019 first-round pick has an outside shot of unseating incumbent Isiah Kiner-Falefa and another top prospect in Oswald Peraza, who impressed in his brief 2022 debut.
Volpe’s candidacy for Opening Day shortstop, however unlikely, is off to a strong start.
Batting leadoff, Volpe drilled the first pitch of the contest, from lefty Tim Mayza, 105.9 mph but right into shortstop Bo Bichette’s glove. Two innings later, Volpe smacked another offering 106.4 mph, this time spraying a hit to right that outfielder Zach Britton misplayed.
Volpe sensed Britton did not have a bead on the ball, and he stretched a single into a double.
“Just bust it and see what happens,” said Volpe, who did nothing spectacular or poor in the field.
In the fourth inning, Volpe took another opportunity to show off his legs. The 21-year-old swatted a single to left, then took off for second on a pitch on which the Blue Jays pitched out. It did not matter, with Volpe beating a poor throw. He dusted himself off and a pitch later stole third.
“He put his tools on display,” said Josh Donaldson, who shared the left side of the infield with Volpe for three innings. “Had some really nice at-bats. … Ran the bases extremely well. He was showing off today.”
Another hard-hit ball but on the ground, which turned into a fifth-inning double play, finished off the official start to Volpe’s exhibition season. Four at-bats, two hits and the ball stung to all parts of the field.
“That’s kind of my approach,” Volpe said. “I want to stick to the middle of the field and keep everything on a line.”
The aggressiveness — both with the bat and on the base paths — stood out for Volpe, who stole 50 bases in 132 total games between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season.
Normally when players are removed from spring games, they shower and get changed. Some drive home. Volpe, consistently praised for his makeup, changed out of his cleats but remained in the dugout until the final out.
“Half those guys still in the game are my roommates,” Volpe said. “I know they’d do the same for me.”
His intangibles and attention to detail have caught the eye of bench coach Carlos Menzoda, who was serving as manager on the road while Aaron Boone led the Yankees who remained at home.
“First time in big-league camp, a lot of stars around him, just the way he goes about it — he’s a total pro,” Mendoza said. “He gets in early, gets his work in and then he gets out of the way and just watches some of the older guys.
“But then when you see him out on the field, you can see the abilities.”
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