Opposing pitcher’s comments on Anthony Volpe perfectly explain why he should make Yankees roster

Josh Wilson

Anthony Volpe, Yankees (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images)

Anthony Volpe very well could make the New York Yankees opening day roster. An opposing pitcher revealed the maturity he sees at the plate from the SS.

#VolpeningDay is catching a lot of steam on Twitter from Yankees fans who want to see the young shortstop on the starting roster come March 30th. We also found out that there are higher-ups in the Yankees organization who are down with the movement.

The rookie shortstop has seen just under 100 plate appearances at the AAA level in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and less than 500 plate appearances at AA Somerset. But his spring training has impressed fans, Yankees brass, and opposing pitchers alike.

Volpe is slashing .277/.393/.575 with an OPS of .967 and three home runs.

Comments from a pitcher Volpe recently homered off of might indicate why he’s ready to make the move up to the majors.

Anthony Volpe showing big-league maturity according to an opposing pitcher

Pablo Lopez saw Anthony Volpe twice on Friday afternoon, striking him out in the first appearance and sending a ball out of the park the second time:

Volpe goes yard 💪 pic.twitter.com/miuZHPqF2C
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 24, 2023

It was a two-run homer that went over the wall in left-center.

Speaking to Bryan Hoch, Lopez, a five-year starter, had nothing but praise for Volpe, and thought the adjustments he made from the 1st to the 3rd inning showed maturity.

"“He saw what he saw from me, and then he went to the plate with a better understanding and idea. Then he executed that plan. That shows a lot of maturity. That shows a lot of promise,” Lopez said to Hoch."

Volpe, with his play, has proven he should be the starting shortstop. The only hurdle and reason to not start him at short on opening day comes down to just the maturity and mental readiness.

Volpe has the tools and the skills, but there is a legitimate concern in bringing up a prospect too early, having them tossed into the fire, and getting their confidence shaken too much in their formative playing years, delaying their development.

Comments like this from opposing pitchers help ease some of the concern with those elements, though.

Josh Wilson

Josh is currently the Managing Editor of FanSided.com. He has worked with FanSided in some capacity for a total of eight years, starting as a contributor for Swarm and Sting, Toro Times, and HoopsHabit in 2015. He served as a site expert for The Sixer Sense during 'The Process' years while starting his educational track at Temple University as a journalism student. He later transferred to the State University of New York at Cortland where he completed his B.A. in Mass Communication with a concentration in journalism. For FanSided, Josh worked as Operations Assistant before taking on a role as Editorial Director of the NBA Division, a role he held for three years. Along the way he also helped start and lead the FanSided fellowship program which created a path for several young journalists to start their careers in sports media. Nothing is more important to Josh than Yankee wins and his family.