It’s obvious that the New York Yankees find themselves in a shortstop situation. Gleyber Torres has been the shortstop since Didi Gregorius walked after the Gerrit Cole signing. Torres is not a shortstop and is more comfortable at 2B. Recently, the Yankees have made a few changes for the better. Moving Gleyber Torres over to second while moving Gio Urshela to short. Although the move has proved to be a strong one, this is an issue that the Yankees are going to have to address.
Options
The free agent market for shortstops next year is a loaded one. Top of the list includes guys like Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, and Trevor Story. The Yankees have been rumored around all those guys. Trevor Story was a huge name mentioned in trade rumors of this year’s deadline connected to the Bombers.
Answer In The Farm
The Yankees may not have to pursue those guys. After all, their number one prospect, Anthony Volpe, is a shortstop. The 20 year old, from New Jersey, has taken the minors by storm. He’s putting together a very solid season batting .294 with a 1.027 OPS as well as launching 27 homeruns with Hudson Valley. Volpe is a very consistent hitter with a lot of pop in his bat. His defense is solid which will only get better. The question with Volpe is if he’s MLB ready yet. Only being 20 years old, the Yankees may want to keep him in the minors for some time yet.
With Anthony Volpe being in the Yankees farm, that holds a lot of security within the franchise. They don’t have to go after a big time shortstop for a long term deal. Not being locked down to one shortstop for years to come, will give Volpe a chance within the next one to two years.
The Yankees have been blessed with some great prospects within the last few years. The best ones coming from the ones they have raised through their own system. Luis Severino and Gary Sanchez to name a couple. Anthony Volpe and Jasson Dominguez, the two top prospects, could turn out to be the same.
The Yankees have a lot of options at shortstop. Their are plenty of guys out there to make a short-term solution. Andrelton Simmons is a guy who could be cheap. The shortstop is 32 years old who is still a quality solution. Simmons is a great defensive shortstop who provides a solid bat. The Yankees could also decided to stick with Gio Urshela at shortstop until Anthony Volpe is ready. No matter the choice the Yankees decide, Volpe will be in the majors as a Yankee. That is something we can all be excited for.
