Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe in the dugout at Yankee Stadium. Photo by New York Yankees via Getty Images
New York Yankees’ rookie Anthony Volpe has won a Gold Glove award at shortstop.
The 22-year-old did not have the offensive season he had hoped, but his defense was enough to win him his first major award. Announced Sunday night, Volpe became the first rookie in Yankees history to win a Gold Glove. Despite having 17 errors on the season, his defense was the one consistent metric in his game in 2023, with 16 defensive runs saved.
Proving Doubters Wrong
There was originally doubt among some that Volpe could man the shortstop position. Metrics pointed to his below-average arm strength but favored his quick release. Talk was high among him potentially being better suited for second base. However, Volpe put those talks to bed with his Gold Glove award at the shortstop position.
“Honestly, whereas I thought he would be able to handle shortstop, I guess that’s where he’s impressed me the most,” Manager Aaron Boone said late in the season. “I don’t know that I expected him to be this good at the position this early. All the little nuance things, the routine, he’s just really, really good at.”
20/20 Club
It is important to not undersell Volpe’s offensive season, either. While he did bat just .209, he did join the 20/20 club, with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases, the first Yankee rookie to ever do so. He is the only other shortstop in franchise history to win a Gold Glove, joining Derek Jeter, which is no easy feat. He is also the youngest shortstop in MLB to win the Gold Glove since Alan Trammell in 1980.
Volpe beat out other prominent shortstops in the American League such as the Twins’ Carlos Correa and the Rangers’ Corey Seager, who just became World Series MVP for the second time. While fans were critical of the team for passing on those aforementioned high-caliber talents for Volpe, he has done his best defensively to quell those thoughts.
“He’s done a great job with the routine play,” Boone continued. “But because he plays the game so fast and with intensity, he’s got great range. He really uses his feet well to cut down angles to give himself an opportunity to make difficult plays without doing it with a great arm.”
With a lot of holes to patch in the offseason, at least the Yankees can breathe easy knowing shortstop isn’t one of them.
