The New York Yankees might not have a proper third base or left field solution, but they do have some impressive middle infield prospects.
Oswald Peraza and Oswaldo Cabrera made their debuts last year and impressed, particularly the latter.
However, neither of those names should be considered the best prospect in the Yankees’ system.
That honor is reserved for shortstop Anthony Volpe.
A consensus top-ten prospect according to several lists such as The Athletic, Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, Volpe cracked the top five in ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel’s exercise.
“Yankees in ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel’s Top 100 Prospects • Anthony Volpe: #3 • Jasson Dominguez: #28 • Oswald Peraza: #34 • Austin Wells: #58 • Trey Sweeney: #88,” @YankeeWLRD tweeted.
Yankees in ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel’s Top 100 Prospects
• Anthony Volpe: #3
• Jasson Dominguez: #28
• Oswald Peraza: #34
• Austin Wells: #58
• Trey Sweeney: #88 pic.twitter.com/rsZ4wwVqPr— Addison (@YankeeWRLD) February 1, 2023
Volpe is ranked by McDaniel as the third-best prospect in baseball.
The former 2019 first-round draft pick followed his exciting 2021 with another excellent year in 2022.
He hit 18 home runs and stole 44 bases at Double-A, with a 122 wRC+.
That performance earned him a ticket to Triple-A Scranton, where he hit another three blasts and stole six bags.
Volpe still needs some more seasoning at Triple-A, but he can become an option for the Yankees at some point in the second half.
He has a smooth swing geared for power, he knows how to analyze pitchers and situations, and he basically willed himself to become an elite base-stealer without elite speed.
The world is made for people like Volpe to succeed: those who are not afraid to be coached.
He oozes talent, and might be the Yankees’ secret weapon with an eye on the second half.
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