As Yankees’ SS decision looms, Anthony & Oswald make most of time together
TAMPA — While Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza have been locked in a high-profile competition to become the Yankees’ starting shortstop this spring, the two have also made it a point to get acquainted.
The Yankees had already promoted Peraza to the majors for a cup of coffee last September by the time Volpe reached Triple-A, so they had not had a chance to play together – or hang out – until camp began this year. Both things have changed in Florida, with the 21-year-old Volpe and the 22-year-old Peraza playing up the middle simultaneously on occasion and even taking in a Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game together.
“It’s our first time really playing together and being in the same clubhouse, but it’s been amazing,” Volpe told the Daily News. “He’s a great teammate, and someone I want to play with.”
As spring training winds down, however, the Yankees have some decisions to make pertaining to Volpe’s sentiment.
Which prospect – Volpe ranks as the organization’s best, while Peraza is third – will be the shortstop? Could both make the team? Will the trade of a veteran infielder clear space for that? And which would-be rookie would transition to second base, whether it be now or down the road, if the Yankees’ goal is to have the two serve as their middle infield of the future?
While Peraza entered camp with an edge in experience – he appeared in 18 major league games last season, while Volpe logged 22 games at Triple-A – Volpe has enjoyed a superior spring.
Volpe, who led off and manned short behind Opening Day starter Gerrit Cole on Friday in Tampa, began the day slashing .279/.404/.535 with five doubles, two longballs, three RBI and five stolen bases. He then proceeded to homer off the Twins’ own Opening Day starter, Pablo Lopez, belting a first-pitch sweeper to center field for a two-run shot after the Minnesota southpaw struck Volpe out with the same pitch in his first at-bat.
“He’s looked the part,” Aaron Boone said afterward while heaping praise upon the youngster’s in-game adjustment.
Peraza, meanwhile, has had far less success at the plate this spring after he hit .306 over 18 MLB games last season, plus a few postseason starts. He was slashing .171/.293/.314 with two doubles, one dinger, one RBI and two stolen bases before starting at short and hitting second in the Yankees’ Friday night “B” game against the Orioles.
“In both guys, you’re talking about well-rounded players. Offense, base-running, defense,” Boone said in between games, though he noted that Peraza has been “okay” offensively and that his “numbers aren’t great.”
Boone added that he “thinks” the Yankees will know their roster decisions before they leave Florida next week, though he was sure to emphasize that word.
While the two have had disparate springs, there’s still a chance that Volpe and Peraza play together again in the Bronx this season, even if only one starts the season there. Both players are aware that one may end up at second base long-term.
“At the end of the day, we’re just having fun and trying to do the best we can out there,” Peraza told The News when asked about playing up the middle with Volpe. “And if the position presents itself, I know we’re gonna give the best we have.”
Adds Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who was in the shortstop fight at the start of camp but is now focusing on a super utility job: “They can play their way into any role they want. It’s all up to them. [The Yankees will] definitely make room for them if they’re ready. But at the end of the day, it’s up to them.”
If the Bombers want to get both kids in the lineup at some point, they may need to make a trade.
Between the two prospects, Kiner-Falefa, Gleyber Torres, DJ LeMahieu and Oswaldo Cabrera, there is a surplus of options that can play up the middle. Kiner-Falefa and Torres have come up in trade rumors before, and Torres is the least versatile of the bunch.
“It’s exciting to think that you have two young players that can grow together,” former Yankees captain and guest instructor Willie Randolph told The News when asked about Volpe and Peraza. “You know, we’ve got a lot of infielders… so it seems to be a little bit of a crowded field. But I’m excited when I see young infield talent.”
However the Yankees’ roster shakes out, Volpe and Peraza are making the most of their time together before camp ends. In addition to playing in a few games alongside one another, they’ve been picking each other’s brains in the cage and in the infield.
“It feels great,” Volpe said of his relationship with his top competitor. “Even in early defensive work, stuff like that, getting out there together has been awesome.”
Peraza echoed similar feelings, and Yankees coaches and players have seen them push each other to be better.
“They’re both out there communicating quite a bit in-game. It’s good to see them laugh and smile occasionally throughout the game and constantly communicating on who’s got coverage and all that stuff,” first base and infield coach Travis Chapman told The News. “Anytime you get guys hanging out and becoming closer, it’s a great thing, whether it’s eating together, or hanging out or playing video games or whatever they do.”
Kiner-Falefa, meanwhile, noted that “there’s no bad blood” between Volpe and Peraza, while Cole recently raved about the positive vibes the neophytes have brought to camp.
“There’s no bad choice,” the right-hander said, “but it’s just kind of inspiring. It’s a good battle, and it’s fun to watch. Everybody kind of feeds off that energy.”