Nationwide Road to The Show™ Ambassador Spotlight: Anthony Volpe

The Nationwide Road to the Show™ Ambassadors series, which provides fans an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at five of the best prospects in Minor League Baseball. Here's a look at top Yankees prospect Anthony Volpe. For more stories about players on The Road to The Show, click here.

Anthony Volpe only had to look across the river to find his baseball hero, Derek Jeter. Now, he’s following the same path to the Bronx.

Born in New York and raised in New Jersey, Volpe was selected by the Yankees at No. 30 overall in the 2019 Draft, providing the 21-year-old with a true homecoming. Volpe is in his first season with Double-A Somerset, playing home games nearly 20 miles from his alma mater, Delbarton High School, where he starred alongside another 2022 Nationwide Road to the Show ambassador, Jack Leiter.

Both Volpe and Leiter were viewed as first-round talents coming out of high school, but they truly flourished in 2021. While Leiter was finishing up at Vanderbilt, Volpe shot up the prospect ranks with one of the best offensive seasons in the Minors at High-A Hudson Valley and Single-A Tampa.

The 21-year-old batted .294/.423/.604 with 27 homers, 86 RBIs, 35 doubles, six triples and 33 stolen bases across both levels. He was the only player in the Minors to hit at least 25 homers and 30 doubles and steal 30 bases, earning a nomination for the Top Offensive Player MiLBY Award.

There were lofty expectations for MLB Pipeline’s fifth-ranked prospect coming into the 2022 season. But the competition has caught up to him in the Eastern League, and he’s gotten off to a slow start with the Patriots.

In the early part of his career, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound infielder has experienced difficult stretches at the plate. He debuted with Rookie-level Pulaski after being drafted and finished with a .215 average. Volpe also finished the first month of last year batting .239.

But Volpe has also shown an ability to right the ship. In each instance, his on-base percentage was more than serviceable -- .349 in Pulaski and .372 in May with Tampa. Already this season, Volpe seems to have found his power, collecting 15 extra-base hits, including five homers, through his first 40 games. And with 18 stolen bases, he’s on-pace to shatter the personal best he set last year.

Defensively, he’s mostly stayed at his natural spot at shortstop, maintaining a .954 fielding percentage at the position in his young career. But he also played two games at second base last year and three at the hot corner so far. His fielding and arm strength grade out as average, but he’s athletic enough to play all three positions.

During the latest Winter Meetings, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters that Volpe’s 2021 season “caught the attention of the entire industry” and “reinforces and justifies everything we heard from our amateur department when we drafted him.”

Volpe is likely more than a year away from reaching the Majors. But he’s sure to factor into the organization’s future plans and could one day patrol the same spot as his hero at Yankee Stadium.