anthony volpe travel baseball team

How Anthony Volpe made his dream, New Jersey boy to Yankees shortstop, a reality

• Published: Mar. 27, 2023, 7:01 a.m.

Anthony Volpe has won the Yankees' shortstop competition this spring after previously starring for teams such as Delbarton (N.J.) in high school, USA Baseball throughout his youth, and the Tampa Tarpons and Somerset Patriots as a minor leaguer. Photos courtesy Tampa Tarpons, Somerset Patriots, USA Baseball, AP and NJ Advance Media.

• Randy Miller | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

TAMPA — The dream hatched when Anthony Volpe was a little kid living in Watchung, N.J. Besides family, baseball was a first love and Yankee Stadium was just 40 miles from home, so the Yankees were his team.

Little Anthony would go to the Bronx with his parents for games and religiously watched most of the others on TV.

All Volpe ever wanted to do with his life was play shortstop for the Yankees. Actually, that’s not entirely true. He wanted to win World Series playing shortstop for the Yankees.

“Since as long as I can remember,” Volpe said before prefacing, “I’m probably the same as a lot of the kids my age, a lot of my classmates, all my teammates. But this was a lot of dreaming.”

It was more than dreaming. Baseball was Volpe’s passion for as long as he can remember, too. He was determined from a young age to do everything he could to someday be a Yankee. That required hours and hours of working on all parts of his game around the calendar.

Early on, Volpe’s raw talent and work habits stood out wherever he played.

Now, as a 21-year-old young man who makes as good an impression off the field as on, Volpe’s dream is coming true.

Heading into his first big-league spring training this year, Volpe was a longshot to break camp with the Yankees. The starting shortstop was open, but 2022 starter Isiah Kiner-Falefa and hotshot rookie Oswald Peraza were the co-favorites.

“You never know, (Volpe) could still kick the door in and force the onus on us,” manager Aaron Boone told YES in January.

On Sunday afternoon, after the Yankees’ 6-3 win over the Blue Jays, Volpe was called into Boone’s office and told he’s made the team. Come Thursday, Opening Day at Yankee Stadium, Volpe will be the Yankees’ shortstop.

“I think when we take a step back and evaluate, he really checked every box that we could have had for him and absolutely kicked the door in and earned this opportunity,” Boone said.

Overcome with emotion, Volpe said, “This day and this moment is what I’ve worked my whole life for.”

Volpe earned it. After March 9, Kiner-Falefa didn’t play any shortstop and prepped for a utility role that would include infield and outfield. Last Monday, with Peraza slumping offensively and Volpe still putting on shows every time he played, the Yankees’ front office and coaching staff met to talk about roster decisions.

By then, Volpe had won over everyone in so many ways. He has just 22 games of Triple-A experience and no big-league time, but the Yankees brass decided their No. 1 prospect two years running was ready.

“He came into this camp continuing to reinforce everything he’s done at every level, which is standout amongst everyone,” general manager Brian Cashman said. “He showed up early (for spring training). I want to say it was December. On his own. Voluntarily. He knew there was a competition and he was intent on winning it.

“From the defensive side, from the offensive side, from one of the first to get here in the morning pre-game or pre-practice to one of the last to leave, he just dominated all sides of the ball in February and March.”

Volpe was eight won their last World Series in 2009. Then, Derek Jeter was the face of the Yankees, so of course he was a childhood hero for Volpe.

But Volpe saw Jeter as more than a great player. He recognized the intangibles and makeup that added to the Hall of Fame shortstop’s greatness and made sure those traits were a part of his baseball DNA.

Volpe always was more than a fan. He was schooled to play the game the right way, so he looked up to the players who ran out every groundball, the ones who turned singles into hustling doubles, the ones who threw to the right base all the time.

From the time Volpe was in grade school, he always was the star on the ballfield, too. Although usually one of the smallest players, his bat-to-ball skills were better than the other kids he played with and against. He also learned from a young age how to work pitchers. He learned how to hit the ball where it was pitched and drive baseballs to the opposite field. He practiced bunting until it was a big strength. He used his speed to steal a lot of bases while training to run faster. His defense always was superb. His baseball IQ always was off the charts.

Volpe advanced from New Jersey youth leagues to traveling teams to high school ball at Delbarton with a lot of USA Baseball events mixed in around the country and globe.

By his senior year at Delbarton, Volpe’s mission to someday play for the Yankees no longer was farfetched. That spring, Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer selected Volpe in the first round of the 2019 draft, 30th overall.

“Damon and his staff out of the amateur scouting department … they placed a bet on him coming out of Delbarton,” Cashman said. “They said the tools would play. They said the makeup was off the chart and he would earn everything every step of the way.”

At the time of the draft, Volpe had committed to go to college to play for national power Vanderbilt, but there was no way he was headed to Nashville after the Yankees picked him.

“It was a once in a lifetime chance to get into the organization,” said Volpe, who received a $2.7 million signing bonus from the Yankees.

Still a long way from the big leagues, Volpe started the climb up the organization ladder that summer. He played rookie ball in 2019, then sat out a whole year when COVID wiped out the entire 2000 minor-league season.

Volpe used this time off to hone all of his baseball skills at home, then the next year he soared up the prospects rankings putting up sensational numbers playing for the Low-A Tampa Tarpons and High-A Hudson Valley Renegades.

Last year was a homecoming that initially brought some adversity. Playing just a few miles from home for the Double-A Somerset Patriots, Volpe was hitting .202 through June 3 before getting hot and staying hot. By the end of the season, Volpe’s stats were impressive and he got some Triple-A experience.

“I’m just happy with all the work I’ve put in,” Volpe said. “I feel like I improved a lot in different parts of my game.”

Scouts and prospects experts grew to love Volpe’s game so much that he’s been a top five prospect in baseball last year and this year.

But heading into spring training, the thinking throughout the industry was that Volpe wasn’t quite big-league ready. There was a belief that he’d start the season in Triple-A, then maybe earn a first call-up by summertime or in September. There even was speculation that he’d go to Scranton and play a lot of second base because there’s been questions for years about his arm strength at shortstop.

Volpe looked like a major league shortstop this spring. He made every play and his arm played out fine, even on long throws from the hole.

“He’s prepared,” Yankees captain Aaron Judge said. “Very rarely do you see that at such a young age. Usually you’re a little immature or a little unprepared, but he seems ready to go every single game I’ve played behind him.”

While Volpe passed the eye test, he put up eye-popping numbers. Through Sunday, an off day for Volpe after three games in three days, he was hitting .314 with six doubles, a triple, three homers, five RBI, eight walks, five steals in five attempts and a 1.064 OPS in 17 games.

“Very impressive at-bats,” Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton said. “He’s running all over the basepaths. He’s a well-rounded player.”

And now Volpe is a big-leaguer. He celebrated Sunday’s news with his parents and other family members in the Yankees dugout at Steinbrenner Field.

On Sunday evening, he celebrated with his spring training roommates, four buddies that were teammates during his minor-league road to the big leagues — Austin Wells , Mickey Gasper, Max Burt and Spencer Henson. They dubbed their planned night “The Last Supper” because “it was going to be our last night and “we’re all going our separate ways.”

The Yankees leave Florida after Monday’s game in Tampa. They’ll play an exhibition against the Nationals on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., then rest up for a day before Thursday’s season opener against the Giants.

Volpe watched a lot of Yankees games over the years from the stands. This time, he’ll be out there on the playing field in pinstripes with a better number than his spring training No. 77, maybe 11 or 14. He’ll hear his name during player introductions, then head out to shortstop for his first Yankees game and be part of the Bleacher Creatures roll call.

It’ll be everything he’s dreamed of and worked for forever.

“It’s super surreal,” Volpe said. “I’ve only ever been to games at Yankee Stadium (as a fan). To get that opportunity, I’m so excited. It’s crazy. I don’t even know what lies ahead.”

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From New Jersey to the New York Yankees: Anthony Volpe’s Garden-State Roots

After spending his formative years in watchung and morristown, volpe crossed the river to join major league baseball’s most legendary franchise..

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The first time Anthony Volpe experienced Little League baseball, it didn’t go too well. He was about 9, and he had been playing the sport ever since he could walk, often with older kids. Hanging out with a bunch of novices who could barely put their uniforms on properly wasn’t too appealing.  

“He hated it,” says Michael Volpe, his father.

When Volpe was a toddler, his father would roll him balls in the hallway of their Manhattan apartment. A family friend gave Volpe a souvenir New York Yankees bat, and he would hit his dad’s pitches in the living room. “We used magazines for bases,” Michael Volpe says. When he got a little older, Volpe joined his father   at a nearby park to play ball “from morning until night.” A group of about 20 kids eventually gathered with them, and Michael Volpe pitched to everybody.  

“[Anthony] was so much more advanced,” Michael Volpe says. “He played more than all the other kids combined. He really latched onto it at an early age.”  

Volpe’s passion continued to grow over the years, eventually leading him to Yankee Stadium, where the 22-year-old from Watchung (where the family moved when he was in fourth grade) is the starting shortstop for Major League Baseball’s most legendary franchise. Those long hours spent at the park presaged a baseball journey during which Volpe would dazzle coaches, players, parents and, ultimately, scouts with his talent. But just as important were his work ethic, commitment and respectful approach to the game. Volpe won state titles and gold medals. He starred on school teams and elite travel outfits. He represented his country through USA Baseball.  

In 2019, the Yankees chose him in the first round of the MLB Draft. Four years later, Volpe plays the position that had belonged for 20 years to his hero, New Jersey native Derek Jeter. Volpe isn’t Jeter, but the success he enjoyed while growing up certainly recalls the Yankee Hall of Famer.

“He’s a unicorn,” says Bruce Shatel, Volpe’s high school coach at the Delbarton School in Morristown. “It’s in his DNA. Everything he does is excellent.”

Volpe played high school baseball at the Delbarton School in Morristown.  Photo: Courtesy of the Delbarton School

Early on, Volpe displayed remarkable defensive skills and otherworldly instincts for the game. As he grew older, his power hitting and speed improved. When Volpe was in sixth grade at Valley View Middle School, he was so good that then coach Matt Buglovsky allowed him to play on the school’s team, which had previously been open only to seventh- and eighth-graders. “As a sixth-grader, he was probably the best one on the team,” Buglovsky says.  

Volpe was also an outstanding student. “He never received a B grade,” says Shatel, who taught Volpe geometry in ninth grade and accounting in 12th.

Volpe started all four years he was at Delbarton, one of the state’s top schools for athletics. Coaches of high-powered travel teams from hundreds of miles away recruited him. He began playing for USA Baseball at 12. Volpe liked other sports, but baseball was his year-round fascination.

“I can’t be more thankful to have had a first-row seat to watch him develop from a ninth-grader to a Major League prospect,” Shatel says. “It was a treat to watch him develop into a special player.”

Kyle Wagner went into Red Land High School in central Pennsylvania one Monday morning about a dozen years ago and told a fellow teacher, “We just played against a future big leaguer.”

Wagner’s friend laughed.  

“Kyle, they’re 10 years old,” he said. “You can’t say that.”

Yes, he could. Wagner’s GoWags travel team had faced the Flemington-based Diamond Jacks squad for which Volpe played, and the coach was impressed. How impressed? Through the parent of a GoWags player who knew the Volpes, Wagner reached out and asked if Anthony wanted to join his squad—which was based in central Pennsylvania. (GoWags is a collection of nine travel teams of players aged 10-18.) Over the next four years or so, in addition to playing for local travel, USA Baseball and school squads, Volpe trekked two-plus hours for GoWags practices.  

“I drove him to Harrisburg on weekends,” Michael Volpe says. “I felt it was important for him to practice with the team. Coach Wagner ran the best practice I ever saw. He made baseball so much fun.”

Volpe had superior confidence and the ability to think about the game at a level well beyond his peers. He inspired his teammates to work harder, and that made everyone better.  

“It would be Friday night, and here is this kid showing up at our facility from Watchung, New Jersey,” Wagner says. “You could hear parents tell their kids, ‘This kid is traveling here. I don’t want to hear your excuses.’ You could feel it: Anthony’s here. Bring your A game .”

Volpe started all four years he was at Delbarton.  Photo: Courtesy of the Delbarton School

Wagner wasn’t the only travel-team coach to recruit Volpe. He also played for the Houston-based Banditos and the Virginia-based Canes, perhaps the nation’s premier amateur outfit. Volpe spent two seasons—before his junior and senior high school years—with the Canes, who have had more than 40 alumni reach the Major Leagues, according to Jeff Petty, coach of the under-18 squad. Even in a group of all-stars, Volpe stood out.

“His leadership qualities were as good as I’ve seen, and I’ve been doing this 18 years,” Petty says. “He was always locked in, not just to winning the game, but wanting to win every inning and every pitch. It was elite.”

Volpe never abandoned his schools. At Valley View in Watchung, Volpe was so good that Buglovsky told his uncle he had a player “who was the next Derek Jeter.” Buglovsky says Volpe never missed a middle school practice and always rooted for his teammates. “He was the perfect kid,” Buglovsky says. “He was a kid you hope your kids are like. He was hardworking, respectful, nice to everybody, and as humble as could be.”

Shatel says it was “easy to root for him,” and that opposing coaches “would be impressed with his ability level but also how he carried himself.” Michael Volpe insists neither he nor his wife, Isabella, both of whom are physicians, ever spoke with their son or his 20-year old sister, Olivia —whom Michael Volpe calls “the best athlete in the family”—about how to behave on teams. “We never had to sit him down to talk about how to treat people,” Michael Volpe says. “That’s just the way he was. We never had problems with him talking down to other kids.”

The summer after his seventh-grade year, Volpe attended a camp at Delbarton and impressed Shatel with his defense. “His glove-to-hand speed was unbelievable,” Shatel says. Because Volpe was undersized, he didn’t hit for power. He instead sprayed line drives all over the field. That changed as he got older. What didn’t need to improve was his desire to work. Volpe was always hitting and fielding grounders after practice. “And he was the best bunter ever,” Shatel says.  

Volpe played second base as a freshman at Delbarton and shortstop his next three years there. The Green Wave won state titles in 2017 and 2019, and by then, college coaches and pro scouts were highly interested in him. Shatel says “10 or so MLB cross-checkers” were at every game to see Volpe, as well as Jack Leiter, a pitcher whom Texas chose second overall in the 2021 MLB Draft. Volpe committed to play for Vanderbilt, an excellent university with a great baseball program.

Then, the Yankees stepped forward.

Matt Hyde began scouting for Volpe’s favorite team in 2005 and had learned about the shortstop while following various USA Baseball outfits. As the Yankees’ lead Northeast region scout, Hyde began tracking Volpe more closely in the summer of 2017, when Volpe earned a spot on a team in the Area Code Games in California, which brought together top prospects from all over the country and were run by MLB scouts. Volpe’s talent was obvious, but Hyde was more impressed with how much Volpe could be constantly “in the moment,” something Hyde says only the absolute best athletes can do.

“He has an amazing ability to be present and not stray into distractions or what’s next,” Hyde says. “That really translates to success. You don’t go beyond the next pitch or the play or the situation. The guys who can do it don’t let anything take them away from what’s right in front of them. All the good ones have it.”

The Yankees chose Volpe 30th overall in 2019 and gave him a $2.7 million signing bonus. After being selected by the Yankees, Volpe began a minor-league sojourn that featured time with five teams in three seasons. (There was no minor-league ball in 2020.) Included was last year’s 110-game stint with the AA Somerset Patriots, in Bridgewater, for whom Volpe hit .251 with 18 homers, convincing the Yanks he was ready to compete for a starting job in the Majors.

Hyde believes Volpe would be comfortable with Yankees greats of the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, like Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle (his grandfather’s favorite player), and the 1970s Reggie Jackson-led World Series champs. “He’s a winner,” Hyde says. “He’s got a Major League smile.”  

Big success with the Yankees is not guaranteed, but the long list of those impressed with his development bodes well for future achievements.  

“We found over time that the differences between good prospects and Major Leaguers are reliability and availability,” Hyde says. “Reliability means they show up every day. Availability means they are there when you need them.

“That’s Anthony. He’s going to be there. He’s going to be prepared. He’s going to show up and bring energy and do his job. That’s who he is.”

And who he has always been.  

Michael Bradley is a writer based in suburban Philadelphia and an assistant instructor at Villanova.

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Yankees takeaways: Anthony Volpe’s secret to breakout vs. Mets; Clay Holmes is ‘huge’

NEW YORK — Anthony Volpe spent Monday’s off day at his childhood home in New Jersey with his parents, Yankees prospect Austin Wells and some of his other former Double-A teammates to reminisce about what life was like before he became the team’s rookie starting shortstop. They ate his mom’s chicken Parmesan and watched old minor-league highlights. While watching the videos, Volpe noticed his stance had been a bit more closed and his bat was flatter in his setup.

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A day after his newfound revelations, with changes in place, Volpe went 2-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a flyout that would’ve been a home run in Minute Maid Park, according to Statcast. Volpe’s contributions helped the Yankees beat the Mets 7-6 in a wacky come-from-behind win at Citi Field on Tuesday.

Statistically, Volpe has been one of MLB ’s worst hitters, ranking in the bottom 10 in various categories, but if his intuition is right, the rookie might have discovered what will get him out of his season-long slump.

“It was so small, but (Wells and I) both kind of noticed it and started talking about it,” Volpe said. “I think we both took a lot away from it.”

As many of you pointed out, Anthony Volpe's stance is WAY more closed tonight. Look at today vs. just Sunday night. pic.twitter.com/Eimq0Mj1AT — Brendan Kuty 🧟‍♂️ (@BrendanKutyNJ) June 14, 2023

Volpe said going away from a more closed stance wasn’t intentional but that a hitter can fall into bad habits in the middle of a 162-game season.

“It’s obviously frustrating, but it’s nice to know that what I was doing when I wasn’t getting results wasn’t natural with what I always do,” Volpe said. “Kind of just getting back to where I’ve been and where I feel comfortable. Whatever happens from there, I’ll take it.”

Tuesday afternoon, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner told reporters the organization had “zero discussion” about potentially sending Volpe down to Triple A to rediscover his swing. Volpe is slashing .191/.264/.357 on the season, but the team remains confident he’ll turn his rookie season around.

“I believe in Volpe because I’ve seen him succeed at every level along the way,” Yankees hitting coach Dillon Lawson said. “I’m definitely not the only one who sees his talent, and I get a firsthand look at how he works. He’s going to be a successful big leaguer, but we didn’t expect that to come without bumps in the road.”

At the end of spring training, Steinbrenner said he told Volpe he wasn’t going to be the team’s shortstop for just a three-week trial period; it was his job for the season. But Volpe said he understands nothing is guaranteed and that he has to earn the starting job every day. A refined batting stance, he believes, might help him keep the job. — Kirschner

Here are three more takeaways from the Yankees’ win over the Mets :

Is Holmes back?

Clay Holmes didn’t get the save. That went to Mike King, who protected the one-run lead with a perfect ninth inning. But Holmes’ eighth-inning contribution was the biggest of the night from the pitching staff. And it was yet another sign he might be back to the form he showed before he appeared in last year’s All-Star Game.

Holmes’ back-to-back strikeouts of Francisco Lindor and Starling Marte rescued the Yankees and reliever Wandy Peralta , who had loaded the bases with one out. Lindor and Marte took Holmes to full counts. First, Holmes fanned Lindor with a 97 mph sinker down the middle, which he swung through. Then the tall righty forced Marte to swing weakly through a slider down and off the plate.

After the inning-saving strikeout, Holmes did a light skip in celebration. Catcher Kyle Higashioka pointed at him. Aaron Boone called the appearance “huge.”

“He’s been terrific of late,” the manager said. “Probably the last half-dozen outings or whatever, he’s been really, really sharp. Using both the sinker and the slider. They have both been weapons for him.”

Holmes mixed it up on Lindor and Marte, throwing 10 sinkers and six sliders. Of the 10 swings the Mets took against Holmes, they missed four times. Holmes said his ability to rely on his slider was key.

“I’m never going to be a command guy necessarily,” Holmes said. “Definitely more movement-oriented. But when I can use the slider to get into better counts, for the hitters to see a little something else, I can trust the sinker movement a little bit more and I don’t have to be so perfect with it.”

Holmes’ ERA improved to 2.48 in 31 tries this season. Going into the game, the Alabama native hadn’t given up a run in six straight appearances. He has given up just one earned run dating back to May 6. — Kuty

Severino’s struggles continue

Luis Severino struggled with the life on his fastball in his previous two starts against the Dodgers and White Sox . Mets leadoff hitter Brandon Nimmo wasted no time attacking Severino’s fastball in the middle of the zone for a solo home run that traveled 429 feet.

See ya, ball 👋 pic.twitter.com/lSLSMT2OP8 — New York Mets (@Mets) June 13, 2023

Severino registered just three whiffs on 30 fastballs in Tuesday’s game, and the Mets had 10 hard-hit balls in Severino’s 4 2/3 innings. It was a weird outing in general for Severino, who also gave up seven hits and three walks. He had one hit batter and two balks — both in the second inning.

Boone said he saw progress from Severino, especially in the fourth and fifth innings. Severino disagreed with his manager’s assessment of his outing.

“For me, I didn’t get better,” Severino said. “I need to be a better pitcher. I feel like every time they give me the ball, I’m not helping the team right now. So I just need to figure out what’s going on, and hopefully I can do that soon.”

Severino has a 6.48 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP in his five starts this season. He has given up seven home runs in his past three starts and doesn’t have the electric put-away stuff he has previously shown.

He’s not a trustworthy starter right now. — Kirschner

That’s offensive

The Yankees improved to 9-10 without Aaron Judge in the lineup this season. They don’t know when he’s coming back. But they do know they need more nights from their veteran hitters like they had Tuesday.

Giancarlo Stanton crushed a solo shot to left field in the first inning off Max Scherzer . Stanton had come into the game with just three hits in his previous 21 at-bats (.143) since coming off the injured list. Then, the Yankees exploded for five runs in the fourth inning.

It started with Anthony Rizzo snapping a career-long futility streak (0-for-his-previous-24 at-bats) with a single punched the other way. And in the next at-bat, DJ LeMahieu crushed a hanging Scherzer slider 396 feet to left field. It was LeMahieu’s first blast since May 27, and he had been in a 6-for-41 (.146) funk going into the game. Then Volpe’s RBI double and Jake Bauer’s two-run single to right field knocked Scherzer out of the game and put the Yankees ahead 6-5.

Josh Donaldson (.143) clubbed a pinch hit sacrifice fly in the sixth to give the Yankees the lead for good.

“Little contributions up and down the lineup,” Boone said. “Good to see everyone have a hand in it.” — Kuty

(Photo of Gleyber Torres and Oswaldo Cabrera celebrating Tuesday’s win: Vincent Carchietta / USA Today)

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BALTIMORE — Anthony Volpe and Gunnar Henderson have been crossing paths since they were in high school.

Now they seem poised to have a young, star shortstop battle within the AL East for years to come.

Henderson is off to a blazing start for the Orioles, hitting his 10th home run of the season in Monday’s 2-0 win over the Yankees, while Volpe has shown early signs of making a big leap himself in his sophomore season.

“I think they’re both going to have really successful, long careers,” manager Aaron Boone said before Tuesday’s game at Camden Yards. “Obviously what Gunnar’s doing, we saw it most of the year last year, just how dynamic an all-around player he is. Obviously Anthony, we feel like he’s going to be our shortstop for a long, long time. We’re seeing him continue to get better and better. I think both organizations are in really good shape from a shortstop standpoint for a number of years.”

The two members of the 2019 draft class — Volpe going 30th to the Yankees and Henderson 42nd (the first pick of the second round) to the Orioles — are both capable of impacting the game in multiple ways, whether from their spots atop the lineup or in the field.

The AL East once had young shortstops Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra going head-to-head at the heart of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. Volpe and Henderson have some work to do before any of those comparisons begin, but they have the potential to be right in the middle of the Yankees and Orioles’ battle for the division this year and beyond.

“It’s going to be neat seeing those two go at it for a long time,” Orioles veteran catcher James McCann said.

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Henderson, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year who is two months younger than Volpe, led the American League with 2.1 fWAR entering Tuesday.

Yankees superstar Juan Soto (who, it should be noted, is only less than three years older than Henderson) was close behind in second at 1.9 fWAR, but Volpe was seventh at 1.5 fWAR.

(Fourth on that list is another young star shortstop, the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. with a 1.7 fWAR, who was drafted second-overall in 2019.)

“The thing that people lose track of is [Henderson] is still so young,” McCann said of the 22-year-old. “I mean, he’s not far removed from the minor leagues and not far removed from high school baseball. So I think the coolest thing is he’s performing so well, yet there’s still a maturation process he’s going to undergo. There’s still him continuing to develop — maybe not as much physically as it is mentally. That’s going to happen really [by] accident through in-game experience. He’s going to be logging at-bats off pitchers that he’ll see for the next several years and creating that memory bank that he’s going to lean on in the future.

“So I think it’s neat to see the success he’s having now, but I also think when you look at the big picture, it’s kind of scary what he could potentially be doing in two or three years.”

By crushing his 10th home run in his first 28 games of the season on Monday night against Clarke Schmidt, Henderson became the youngest player in MLB history to reach double-digit home runs before May 1.

The left-handed hitter came into Tuesday’s game batting .289 with a .983 OPS and six steals.

“Just the whole package — the defense he’s playing, what he’s doing on the bases, he’s gone left-on-left, base hits the other way,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “He’s so down to earth, too. He’s so modest, but he’s also super confident. I don’t think this is surprising him. I think he believes this is how he should be playing.”

The same could be said for Volpe, who entered Tuesday batting .272 with a .766 OPS and seven steals. The reigning AL Gold Glove winner has cooled off some from his red-hot start to the season, but his off-season improvements to his swing — getting it back to where it was during his rise through the minor leagues — has made him a different hitter in Year 2.

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Anthony Volpe

• New York Yankees
• HT/WT 5' 9", 180 lbs
• Birthdate 4/28/2001 (23)
• BAT/THR Right/Right
• Birthplace New York, NY
• Status Active

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Examining Anthony Volpe’s recent struggles

I n the first couple of weeks of the 2024 season, Anthony Volpe was a beast. He overhauled his swing, he was hitting for average and power, he was stealing bases and he was flashing the leather. He was on top of the world.

MLB, however, has a way of humbling people that few other leagues have. Volpe’s OPS was over 1.000 as recently as April 15, but after Monday’s loss against the A’s, it’s at .766. Baseball, and numbers, can change in a hurry.

The numbers, and the video, tell us a lot. In his last seven games dating back to the aforementioned April 15 (and including Monday’s affair), Volpe is 3-for-29 with no extra-base hits, one RBI, no walks, and 11 strikeouts.

His groundball rate over that span is over 60 percent, and his OPS is a meager .207. No, that’s not a typo.

What do we know about Volpe’s slump? Well, he is expanding the zone and has been swinging and missing more often, a dangerous recipe. In his last six games (excluding Monday’s contest), his O-swing% (percentage of pitches a batter swings at outside the zone) is 41.3 percent. Considering his season mark is at 28.2 percent, you know he has been a bit off in the plate discipline department recently.

Per FanGraphs, Volpe has been having a hard time making contact in those six games before Monday. His swinging strike rate over those has been 13.7 percent, much higher than the 6.5 percent mark he has shown all season. That last one was bound to go up a bit, but the recent increase has been significant.

Here is the most concerning part, though: after that night in Arizona in which Volpe logged four hits (on April 1), he is hitting .227/.292/.288 with a 75 wRC+. That’s nearly all season there.

The video suggests the Yankees ’ shortstop is having issues with fastballs up in the zone:

He is even getting beat with fastballs he shouldn’t be missing:

Of course, breaking balls (especially those low in the zone) are also hurting him a lot:

He looked completely fooled on this one:

Probably the most concerning thing is that all those videos are from the last couple of games exclusively. Right now, Volpe’s confidence appears to be at a season low. He is swinging at pitches he is supposed to take, and missing pitches he is supposed to punish.

His timing appears to be off, but the root of it all is plate discipline. This is a guy who, still after his recent slump, has a .362 OBP for the year. To see him go seven straight games without a walk and striking out 11 times is rather surprising, but we know he is better than this.

It will be up to Volpe to adjust back, start laying off some tough offerings, and be more aggressive on those pitches he can punish inside the strike zone. Sounds easy, right? It definitely isn’t.

There is a reason why many hitting prospects in the last couple of seasons (Jackson Holliday and Wyatt Langford being the most recent examples) have struggled in MLB after tearing up the minors. The jump in talent level from Triple-A to the majors is vast

Volpe, however, has shown the ability to make adjustments, both in-season and from year to year. He has the talent to turn things around and almost certainly will at some point. He still has his legs and his excellent defense as a solid foundation to keep him in the lineup. Once he can put it all back together again, he’ll go back to looking like a franchise cornerstone at short.

Yankees held to five hits, drop second straight to Orioles at Camden Yards

Aaron Judge of the Yankees reacts during the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 30, 2024 in Baltimore. Credit: Getty Images

BALTIMORE – The Yankees avoided being shut out for a second straight night and for the sixth time this season.

That concluded the good news portion of the program Tuesday night for the Bombers.

After consistently misfiring with runners on base in a shutout loss Monday, the Yankees gave themselves few chances in a 4-2 loss to the Orioles in front of an into-it-from-the-start crowd of 21,949 at Camden Yards.

“It’s baseball,” said Juan Soto, who had two of the Yankees' five hits, including one of their two homers (Austin Wells hit the other). “We’re all grinding, we’re all trying to get some runs on the board, but things aren’t going our way. We’re hitting the ball hard, they’re making great plays, they’re diving all over the place.”

The Yankees (19-12), who went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10 in a 2-0 loss Monday before going 0-for-1 with RISP and four stranded Tuesday, have dropped the first two games of a four-game set against the defending AL East champion Orioles (19-10).

As Soto alluded, the Orioles, whose years-in-the-making youth movement came to fruition last season in a 101-win season, do not appear to be worse this season.

“We’re putting the ball in play well. We’re having the right at-bats. We’ve gotta break through,” said Aaron Boone, whose team totaled 30 runs and 37 hits their last two games over the weekend in Milwaukee. “Especially when you’re playing a good team, you’ve got to take advantage of some opportunities.”

Soto, who hit his team-leading eighth homer in the sixth, made it 4-2 with the blast, which traveled 447 feet and landed on Eutaw Street, which adjoins the famous warehouse in right (he became the 123rd player in the history of this ballpark, which opened in 1992, to hit one there).

Otherwise, the offensive highlights were few.

Baltimore righthander Dean Kremer, who came in 1-2 with a 4.61 ERA this season and with even more unimpressive numbers in his career against the Yankees (2-3 with a 5.04 ERA in nine starts), kept them in check over seven innings.

Kremer allowed two runs, four hits and four walks, striking out four.

Soto stared down the pitcher after his homer, then glanced at him again rounding first base.

“He didn’t like the shuffle,” Soto said of his routine at the plate, dubbed the Soto Shuffle from the early days of his career that rubs some pitchers the wrong way. “I bet he didn’t like the homer, too.”

Nestor Cortes (1-3) wasn’t bad but was done in by one inning, the fourth, in which he allowed three runs. Cortes allowed four runs, eight hits and two walks over six innings in which he struck out five.

“They’re just very talented,” Cortes said of the Orioles.

The Yankees, who grounded into double plays in each of the first two innings and three overall, gifted the Orioles their first run. Anthony Santander led off with a looper down the rightfield line. Anthony Rizzo ran a long way and, with Soto coming in from his position in right, the first baseman saw the ball glance off his glove for a double. Jordan Westburg hit a ground smash to Gleyber Torres, who tried for the lead runner. But Torres’ throw bounced off Santander’s back and into foul ground, allowing the runner to score for a 1-0 Baltimore lead.

“I have a better shot than him (Rizzo), I just didn’t call it because when I was about to call it, I think I was too far and he probably wouldn’t have heard me,” Soto said of the play in right. “He seemed like he had a good route on it.”

The Yankees tied it at 1-1 in the third on Wells’ first homer of the year, but the athletic Orioles tagged Cortes for three runs in the fourth, getting doubles from Jorge Mateo and James McCann, and Colton Cowser and Gunnar Henderson beating out infield singles. Adley Rutschman blooped an RBI single in front of a diving Soto in right to make it 4-1.

“I think overall we’ve had good at-bats with good plans,” Wells said. “I think they’ve just had a lot of good bounces go their way and we’ve hit hard balls right at guys. It’ll sway.”

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.

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Project promoting unity draws concerns

Aug. 9—Moscow city councilors hope that an effort to promote unity in Moscow will not further polarize the city.

The Moscow Human Rights Commission is planning to roll out the Moscow Together Project that allows businesses and nonprofits to advertise themselves as inclusive.

Businesses and nonprofits who participate in the project will sign a commitment statement.

"To enable everyone in our diverse, inclusive community to feel valued, safe, and welcome, I/we commit to treat every individual equally with dignity and respect in a safe and welcoming environment," reads the statement. "I/We agree to join MOSCOW TOGETHER and will display the Moscow Together logo decal or poster to indicate commitment to a welcoming, inclusive, caring community."

They will then receive decals and posters indicating they are part of the Moscow Together Project.

Ken Faunce, chairperson of the Moscow Human Rights Commission, said this effort is in response to reports of individuals saying they do not always feel safe and welcome in Moscow.

"The idea behind the project is to advertise and bring together Moscow as a welcoming, inclusive, safe place to live," he said.

Faunce explained the project Monday to the Moscow Public Works and Finance Committee, which includes city councilors Maureen Laflin, Hailey Lewis and Gina Taruscio.

The Human Rights Commission is asking the city council to endorse this project. Faunce said all the funding for the project will come from the Human Rights Commission budget.

Faunce stressed that any business or nonprofit without a decal or poster should not be considered unsafe or unwelcoming.

"We don't want a list of, 'Here's the good, here's the bad,' that kind of thing," Faunce said. "That's not what it's going to be."

Additionally, businesses that sign up for the project will be asked to remove the decal or poster if they are found to continually discriminate against individuals.

The Human Rights Commission is planning to officially launch the project in September.

Laflin, Lewis and Taruscio expressed concerns about how this project will be perceived by the public.

"With the goal of promoting unification and safe zones, does (Moscow Together) actually, in some respects, further polarize us?" Laflin said. "I just have to say we need to think about how we can overcome that."

Taruscio stated she would like the Human Rights Commission to further clarify that this project is not a list of businesses that "are approved or not approved."

Lewis wondered if this project should be focused less on businesses and more on individual vows.

Faunce said the Human Rights Commission plans on allowing individual residents to sign up for Moscow Together posters, yard signs and possibly T-shirts in the future.

The Public Works and Finance Committee agreed to allow this topic on the regular agenda for next week's Moscow City Council meeting.

Also on Monday, the Public Works and Finance Committee recommended the city council accept a bid of $49,925 from Western Construction to add landscaping to the roundabout being constructed on Mountain View Road and Sixth Street.

The plan calls for the installation of five trees, 25 shrubs, decorative grasses, mulch and irrigation.

The roundabout is one of several construction projects occurring on Mountain View Road this summer. Cody Riddle, Moscow deputy city supervisor, told the Daily News that construction on the intersection of D Street and Mountain View Road is on pace to be completed in the next couple of weeks before the school year begins.

The D Street and Mountain View Road work includes eliminating left-turn lanes, replacing sidewalks and installing pedestrian ramps.

Kuipers can be reached at [email protected] .

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A fine welcome

Apr. 27—University of Idaho student Madelynn Gregoire wanted to leave her stamp on Moscow before she graduated this May.

She did so in the form of 10-foot by 10-foot mural serving as an unofficial Moscow welcome sign that greets cars as they enter downtown from the north.

Gregoire was invited by J-U-B Engineers manager David Watkins to paint the mural on the side of the J-U-B building on the west side of Jackson Street at the intersection of Third Street.

Watkins said his staff wanted to bring some art to their downtown building, and perhaps participate in Artwalk in the future. He reached out to Gregoire, who won a student competition two years ago at the UI Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering to paint a mural inside the J-U-B Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory on campus.

Gregoire began working with J-U-B since fall 2023 to finalize the design of this new mural.

Though J-U-B is a regional company, Watkins said they wanted the mural to have a local flavor.

"The original thinking was focus on Moscow and Idaho as best we can," Watkins said.

It was Gregoire's idea to make the mural look like a vintage postcard with the words "Welcome to Moscow."

The multi-colored mural features Moscow City Hall, huckleberries, cutthroat trout, a moose, mountains and syringa flowers. Syringa is Idaho's state flower.

It also depicts a surveyor and engineers as an homage to the J-U-B staff.

It took Gregoire four weeks to paint the mural as she navigated adverse spring weather and her course load. Gregoire said she heard some encouragement from drivers who passed by while she was working.

"A lot of people really liked it," she said.

While the lifelong artist will continue to paint, her career will be in the engineering field. Gregoire will be an engineer in training at KPFF in Boise.

KPFF was an engineering firm involved in the UI ICCU Arena construction.

Gregoire will leave with fond memories of Moscow. She called it a "very special place" and is happy to make it a little more colorful with her art.

"I thought it would be kind of cool to leave my mark on Moscow before I go," she said.

Kuipers can be reached at [email protected] .

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