The Yankees drafted a shortstop from New Jersey with their first-round pick.
No, this isn't 1992 when they picked Derek Jeter. In 2019, they selected Anthony Volpe, a Vanderbilt commit.
A 5-foot-10, 185-pound infielder for Delbarton Prep in New Jersey, Volpe, 18, is teammates with Jack Leiter, Al Leiter's son who is also among the top prospects in this year's draft class.
Volpe was compared to Michael Young on MLB Network after he was drafted. In 84 at-bats this year, he is hitting .488 with 34 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.
At the 2018 national showcase for Perfect Game, scouts touted his "polished" defense, noting he has "advanced footwork and balance, very quick transfer and release, very smooth and fluid, not elite arm strength but plenty to play all over the infield with his other skills."
At the plate, the right-handed Volpe has a "short and compact swing with good bat speed," and is someone who "can drive the ball to the gaps on his pitch."
Baseball America projected Volpe to go to the Yankees in its mock draft. He was ranked MLB.com's No. 63 prospect in this year's draft class.
"Volpe is the kind of player who grows on evaluators the more they see him, with his whole being greater than the sum of his parts," MLB.com wrote about him. "He gets an 80 on the 20-to-80 scouting scale for his makeup and work ethic. He does have a solid approach at the plate with excellent bat control and while he doesn't have a ton of power, there is enough strength to keep pitchers honest, like when he went deep at the NHSI. ... Because of his track record for performing well against good competition and his makeup, it might be wrong to bet against Volpe."
And if there were any questions, yes, he is a Yankees fan.
Folks, he's a Yankees fan. https://t.co/HlSXWpx4C5
- River Ave. Blues (@RiverAveBlues) June 4, 2019
(Who can forget the 2017 thumbs down symbol?)