Yankees need SS Anthony Volpe's trajectory to mirror Hall of Famer's

Anthony Volpe stands at the intersection of promise and necessity for the 2025 New York Yankees. 

As the defending American League champions scramble to patch holes in their lineup, the club desperately needs its young shortstop to transform from prospect to star, much as Hall of Famer and former Yankees captain Derek Jeter did. Recent evidence suggests he might be ready to answer the call.

The Yankees' roster took a significant hit this offseason with the departure of outfielder Juan Soto, who finished third in last year's AL MVP voting. Adding to New York's woes, OF Giancarlo Stanton and infielder DJ LeMahieu are already injured and expected to miss Opening Day and possibly beyond. These mounting concerns have shifted the spotlight directly onto Volpe as he enters his third MLB season.

Despite being the Yankees' top prospect before his 2023 debut, Volpe hasn't yet matched the offensive output of shortstop contemporaries Gunnar Henderson of the Baltimore Orioles or Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals. Henderson's 2023 slash line of .255/.325/.489 and Witt's .276/.319/.495 represent the target for Volpe, who has shown flashes but lacked consistency at the plate.

Volpe, who will turn 24 on April 28, already excels defensively, capturing a Gold Glove in 2023. Baseball Savant places him in the 83rd percentile for sprint speed and 97th percentile for fielding range. His cumulative 6.7 bWAR over two seasons approaches the All-Star threshold that FanGraphs defines as 4-5 WAR annually.

It's the bat that has lagged behind. After hitting 21 home runs as a rookie, Volpe's power dipped to just 12 homers last season. He had 42 more hits than in 2023, but those came with an additional 96 at-bats.

But the turning point for Volpe may have started during last season's playoff run. In 14 postseason games, Volpe slashed .286/.407/.408 for an .815 OPS, dramatically outperforming his regular-season numbers. 

MLB.com's Mike Petriello documented the transformation. Volpe's hard-hit percentage surged to 50% in October after bottoming out at 23% in September, while his chase rate plummeted from 35% in May to just 9% in October.