Witt Jr. sets the bar high for Volpe to reach in Year 2
KANSAS CITY — Jack Leggett had no shortage of talent to work with in 2018.
The coach, heading USA Baseball’s 18-and-under National Team, rostered a collection of future first-round draft picks. The group included the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong, Washington’s CJ Abrams, Arizona’s Corbin Carroll, Detroit’s Riley Greene, Texas’ Jack Leiter and Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr.
Yet a skinny kid from New Jersey batted third for Leggett, as the Yankees’ Anthony Volpe hit behind Abrams and Carroll on a team that won gold in the COPABE U-18 Pan American Championship in Panama.
“Anthony is probably the most coachable, passionate player, hustler… that you could ever have,” Leggett told the Daily News before turning his attention to his cleanup hitter. “He and Bobby Witt are very similar. They have the same qualities. They just are disciplined. They are passionate. They played extremely well together. There were no egos.”
Both players — and Abrams — now play shortstop for their major league teams, but Volpe found himself relegated to second base with Team USA. Abrams manned center field, while Witt, a year older than both, handled shortstop.
He and Volpe, who first met when they were 16 and 17, found
immediate chemistry.
“Playing up the middle with him, he just became, I feel like, a lifelong friend,” Witt told The News with the Yankees in Kansas City to conclude the season.
Back then, Volpe and Witt shared hugs when Team USA won gold. They jumped into the embrace, and Witt actually landed on Volpe’s foot and rolled his own ankle.
The dogpile accident is something Witt still laughs about.
These days, the two share uniforms. Volpe and Witt swapped jerseys when the Royals visited the Bronx in July. Volpe did the same with Carroll when the Diamondbacks recently played at Yankee Stadium.
Carroll, 22, has enjoyed a sensational rookie season. Prior to Saturday, he bashed 25 home runs, drove in 76 runners and swiped 54 bases while hitting .287/.363/.510 for Arizona.
Witt, meanwhile, has blossomed in his sophomore season. After contending for the Rookie of the Year Award in a crowded field last year, the 23-year-old entered Saturday hitting .275/.317/.493 with 30 dingers, 96 RBI and 49 stolen bases.
Volpe, a 22-year-old rookie himself, hasn’t had as much firstyear success. That’s not to say that he’s performed poorly since winning the Yankees’ shortstop job in spring training. However, consistency has been hard for Volpe to come by, and the Bombers would have liked numbers higher than his .207 average and .283 on-base percentage.
Witt had better numbers as a rookie — he slashed .254/.294/.428 with 20 homers, 80 RBI and 30 stolen bases — but his trajectory would be an ideal one for Volpe to follow in Year 2.
Asked if Witt’s second season is something Volpe is aspiring to in 2024, the Yankee said, “Obviously, he’s an incredible player, probably one of the best players I’ve ever played with. But for me, it’s just, I know what I got to work on, and I know I have a lot to work on. So I feel like when I keep doing those things, everything will fall into place.”