Anthony Volpe is 'special' -- but here’s a unique problem for Yankees

Not long ago an opposing manager was sitting in his office going over the Yankees’ lineup card.

“I love [Anthony] Volpe,” the manager said. “He’s special.”

The manager then asked the key question, with the small twinkle in his eye that comes when discussing other people’s problems: “But how do they move him off shortstop if he wins the Gold Glove?”

The question summed up the industry perception of Volpe, which is also the Yankees’ perspective in private, honest moments: He is a good shortstop, among the best in the American League. A high baseball IQ and well-honed technique have allowed him to overperform his tools. 

But still, the best defensive alignment next season has Volpe at second base and Oswald Peraza at shortstop. Saying that does not detract from Volpe as a truly special young player, with potential to be a perennial All-Star. It’s just that, defensively, he’s more Dustin Pedroia than prime Didi Gregorius.

The offseason might bring a new complication: Volpe could be a Gold Glove finalist along with Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. and reigning winner Jeremy Pena of Houston. He might even win the award. Then what does the team do?

Says one American League infield coach: “[Wander] Franco has the best range, but we know he’s not winning it [the Rays shortstop is on administrative league while MLB investigates an alleged sexual relationship with a minor]. For me, Volpe’s pre-pitch, which is really high, puts him right there on lateral range. Next to Franco he’s the best.”

Let’s pause for a moment to detail what that coach means by “pre-pitch.” If you’re at a game -- this is not usually shown on television -- watch each infielder as the pitcher begins and ends his delivery. Some take a few steps forward, while others sink low to the ground.

Three Yankees infielders -- Volpe, Peraza at third and second baseman Gleyber Torres -- hop into the air, their feet leaving the ground. The Mets’ brilliant shortstop Francisco Lindor also employs this technique; he recently explained that the goal is for his “feet to hit the ground right as the pitch is being delivered.”

Volpe’s hop is particularly high, which gives him momentum to range to either side when the ball is hit. This enables him to outperform his field tool, which most scouts put at 50-55 on their 20-80 scale.

All of that is to say that any team would be fine, or more than fine, with Volpe as their shortstop. But what if that team has Peraza, whose tools grade even higher than Volpe’s for the same position?

Scouting grades contain subjectivity, as do metrics. But nearly every evaluator has Peraza’s field tool above Volpe’s, typically at around 60.

That is not a significant difference. The real gap between the two comes in the category of arm strength, which is a key for a shortstop. Using the tool rankings for shortstop created by longtime Yankees’ player development guru Bill Livesey, the arm or throw tool is the second most important of the five tools for a shortstop.

It is fourth most important for a third baseman, meaning that Peraza’s 60 arm is almost wasted at that position. Evaluators typically grade Volpe’s arm at 45 or 50.

“It’s probably a 45 arm, but he maximizes it so it can play as 50,” says one top scout of Volpe’s. “Later in the season when he gets tired like everyone does I have it more as a 45. Peraza’s is obviously much stronger.”

This was on display Tuesday night in Toronto when Peraza, playing shortstop, backhanded a ground ball in the hole near left-center field, then fired a virtual missile to first base. The play was sparkling enough that the Yankees social media team tweeted out the highlight.

Can the front office and manager Aaron Boone really ignore this going into next year, just because Volpe got there first? What about if he wins the Gold Glove?

This might be a good problem to have -- but still, it’s a conundrum in need of resolution.