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TAMPA — The Yankees’ shortstop competition has caught the attention of the very top of the Yankees’ hierarchy.
Hal Steinbrenner is intrigued by Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza, too.
“The reality is,” the Yankees owner said Wednesday, “when we’ve got young prospects who are ready and deserving of a chance, they’re going to get it.”
Steinbrenner is not ready to publicly say either young prospect has won the Opening Day shortstop job, but count him among the many impressed with both.
Peraza, who debuted at the end of last season, and Volpe, who touched Triple-A last year and is this season’s camp standout, have appeared to separate themselves from Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who is turning into a super-utilityman.
Peraza is the stronger defender at shortstop, while Volpe has dazzled more offensively in the Grapefruit League.
Can Volpe, with just 22 games of Triple-A experience, actually break camp with the major league Yankees?
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“Anything’s possible,” Steinbrenner said in his annual spring news conference. “He has certainly showed, at least on this spring training stage, that he can handle it and play well and do a lot of different things.”
“We’re always concerned about our minor league players: Are they truly ready? Because this is not New York. … And this is not the regular season. So we’ll just have to see. It’s going to be a long discussion, which I’ll be a part of.”
With about two weeks until Opening Day, Steinbrenner expects those roster conversations to accelerate in about a week.
He has heard great things about Volpe — including from Aaron Judge, who said the New Jerseyan “conducts himself in a very professional way” — and would not be shy to bang on a table if he deems a player should be promoted.
“If I really, really feel strongly about something, then I’m probably going to make sure it’s done,” said Steinbrenner, who said service time would not play a factor in the shortstop decision. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll feel that strongly about any decision that’s made in this regard, but I will be involved. Obviously, player development will be involved as well.”
After the Yankees resisted the star free-agent shortstops for two years, Steinbrenner is thrilled the prospects they have bet on have showed promise.
“I don’t think you can ignore the young kids,” Steinbrenner said about what has stood out to him the most in camp. “Peraza, [Oswaldo] Cabrera, Volpe. Even [Jasson] Dominguez. It’s exciting, for me, personally because I follow these kids for years.”
