Yankees Rumors: SS Anthony Volpe Draws 'High-Level' Support to Start on Opening Day

Shortstop Anthony Volpe, the top prospect in the New York Yankees' farm system, is making a strong impression on the right people as he looks to make the Opening Day roster.

Per The Athletic's Brendan Kuty, Volpe is receiving support from "high-level voices" in the Yankees organization to make the 26-man roster and start at shortstop to open the season.

Kuty did note many people with the team have emphasized they want to put the best team on the field to start the year.

Just based on statistical evidence, Volpe looks like he can handle himself against big-league pitching. The 21-year-old has a .283/.400/.587 slash line with three homers and five stolen bases in 46 at-bats this spring.

The only real argument against Volpe starting the season in the majors is his lack of experience at Triple-A level. He finished last season with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, but it was only a 22-game sample size.

But New York's other options haven't exactly taken control of the race to be the starting shortstop. Oswald Peraza is hitting .171/.293/.314 with six hits in 35 at-bats.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa has been a little better with a .241/.324/.379 slash line, but he's also got a .663 career OPS in 534 MLB games that strongly suggests he's best used in a utility role off the bench.

MLB.com has Volpe ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect heading into the 2023 season. He's hit at least 20 homers in each of the past two years in the minors and has stolen 83 bases during that span.

There might be some growing pains for Volpe—he has struck out 257 times in 1,044 minor-league at-bats—whenever he makes it to The Show, but the upside is incredibly high when he does figure things out.

The Yankees are looking to win their second straight AL East title after going 99-63 in 2022. They were swept in the ALCS by the Houston Astros and haven't been to the World Series since winning it in 2009.