The Yankees selected Volpe in the first round, with the 30th overall selection of the 2019 MLB draft.[12] 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.[13][14][15] Over 34 games, he batted .215 with two home runs and 11 RBIs.[16] 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.[17]
To begin the 2021 season, Volpe was assigned to the Tampa Tarpons of the Low-A Southeast.[18] After slashing .302/.455/.623 with 12 home runs and 49 RBIs in 54 games played, Volpe was promoted to the Hudson Valley RenegadesofHigh-A East.[19] He spent a full season with the club, hitting 27 home runs and stealing 33 bases. Volpe is the minor leagues' first 20-homer, 50-steal player since Andruw Jones in 1996.[20][21]
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.[26] On March 26, 2023, the Yankees announced Volpe had earned a spot on the team's Opening Day roster as the starting shortstop.[27][28]
Volpe recorded his first major league hit in the second game of the season on April 1.[29] On April 14, Volpe hit his first major league home run.[30] On May 10, 2023, Volpe hit his first career grand slam. He became the Yankees' first rookie shortstop to hit a grand slam.[31] On May 13, Volpe set a record as the first player in Yankees history to steal his first 13 career bases without being caught.[32] On May 23, Volpe had his first walk-off plate appearance when he hit a sac fly to drive in the winning run against the Baltimore Orioles.[33]
Volpe became the 15th MLB rookie to record both 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season.[34] However, his .283 on-base percentage was the worst among qualified MLB players and his strikeout rate was 13th worst in the league.[35] He finished his rookie season with a .209/.283/.383 slash line, 21 home runs, 60 RBIs, 24 stolen bases, and 23 doubles.[36] Volpe received a single vote in American League Rookie of the Year voting, finishing in eighth place.[37] He won the AL Gold Glove Award at shortstop, becoming the first Yankee rookie to win the award.[38][39]
Volpe worked to improve his offense in the offseason, leveling his swing to improve his bat control in the upper part of the zone.[35] He quickly improved his offensive profile to start the 2024 season, cutting his strikeout rate in half while increasing his walk rate and on-base percentage.[35] On April 1, 2024, he recorded his first four-hit game.[40] In May, he recorded a 21-game hitting streak, the longest by a Yankees player in over a decade.[41] The streak cemented his role as the team's regular lead-off hitter through the first half of the season.[35]
^Martelli, A. J. (August 11, 2021). "Prized Yankees prospect Anthony Volpe thriving with Hudson Valley Renegades". Poughkeepsie Journal. Retrieved March 26, 2023. The trade deadline came and went without any change in locale. Although the Yankees made significant moves, Volpe wasn't traded. He remained a member of the Hudson Valley Renegades, and has continued to be a major contributor since being promoted to the Fishkill-based club on July 13.
^Martelli, A. J. (September 7, 2021). "Renegades' Anthony Volpe involved in bizarre ejection on home run". Poughkeepsie Journal. Retrieved March 26, 2023. Volpe's home run was his 12th as a member of the Renegades and 24th overall this season. The 20-year-old shortstop was promoted from Low-A Tampa on July 13 and has impressed over the summer with Hudson Valley.
