MLB Hot Stove Noontime Lunch: Yankees’ Anthony Volpe wants veteran free agent outfielder to join club, HOF shortstop endorses the Glove Glove winner
You’d think that Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe would be slamming his hand off Brian Cashman’s desk demanding he sign Shohei Ohtani or even Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Maybe he has but recently the young infielder endorsed an under-the-radar free agent.
“I ran into Jason Heyward a couple of weeks ago and I said he’d look good without a beard on,” the freshly minted Gold Glover said at the MLB Flagship Store in Manhattan on Thursday as part of Rawlings’ 2023 Gold Glove celebration.
Odd right? Maybe not.
The Yankees are reportedly looking to add at least two outfielders this offseason. New York has been linked to both Kevin Kiermaier and Alex Verdugo in the recent weeks.
Heyward is an interesting option for the Yankees bench. The 34-year-old had a decent year for the Dodgers last season. He produced a 1.9 WAR, per Baseball Reference and slashed .269/.340/.473/.813 with a 117 OPS+ spanning 124 games. His OPS and OPS+ were the highest of his career since 2020.
The veteran can play all three outfield positions and be a perfect No. 4 outfielder off the bench for skipper Aaron Boone.
Now, I should be fair and say that Volpe thinks the Bronx Bombers should sign Ohtani this winter.
"I mean, I think he's the best of the best," Volpe said.
Ozzie Smith gives high praise to Volpe
Ozzie Smith was one of the best to every play the shortstop position.
The Wizard of Oz was known for his defensive prowess, winning 13 consecutive Gold Gloves with the Padres and Cardinals from 1980-1992.
No shortstop has ever won more.
On Thursday, Smith met the Yankees’ 22-year-old shortstop who just won his first Gold Glove Award.
“I’ve had a chance to watch him play some games and he’s very solid,” Smith said at a fan meet-and-greet at the MLB Flagship Store in Midtown.
“He’s won his first Gold Glove already, and you just hope that he stays healthy, and if he stays healthy, continues to develop and learn as I’m sure he will. As a middle infielder, I think that he probably possesses that special something to be able to probably play anywhere. Now it’s just a matter of how consistent can you be? Can you do that year in and year out? I’m sure that he probably has the makeup to be able to do that.”
Volpe is the first Yankees rookie to win a Gold Glove at any position.
“Following Derek Jeter can’t be easy either, you know, so to be able to just sit here today and be a Gold Glover, I think it speaks to his fortitude, his toughness and his ability to help a club win,” Smith said. “Got to be solid up the middle and stable, and I think that’s what he gives the Yankees.”
Volpe has admitted that it “sounds crazy” to be mentioned in the same breath as Jeter.
“Obviously, I always was a fan and grew up and thought about him, so you’d maybe dream about being in the same type of sentences like that, but I feel like everyone’s got a long way to go to reach him,” Volpe said at the event. “I don’t think anyone will.”
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