Young Yankees Player Has Massive Capability

Being a key member of the New York Yankees is something special.

The names that have led this franchise are like a murderer’s row of legends. Babe Ruth. Lou Gehrig. Joe DiMaggio. Mickey Mantle. Yogi Berra. Reggie Jackson. Derek Jeter. And that’s just a sample.

It’s certainly not an exhaustive list. Aaron Judge is the closest thing we have to a cornerstone player right now. However, Judge is already 31 years old when he enters 2024. He should be productive for a long time, but he will not be the team’s pillar indefinitely.

Kansas City signed shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. to an 11-year contract earlier this week. The Royals definitely see the young talent as a cornerstone for the future.

So, based on those parameters, who are the Yankees’ future cornerstones?

MLB.com sought to find out. Its authors compiled a list of potential cornerstones for each team in 2024. The criteria were straightforward. First, the player had to be under 25 years old.

Second, the player should be a Major Leaguer. The lone exception is a long-term prospect, such as Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio, who has yet to make his MLB debut. Based on those factors, the site chose Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe.

He’ll be 22 years old on Opening Day, beginning his second full season in the Majors. He was thrown into the fire as a rookie last season, and he ended up becoming the first Yankees rookie to earn a Gold Glove in that position.

Most fans focused on his batting statistics, and he did have some rookie troubles, with a slash line of.209/.283/.383/.666. He did add some power, hitting 21 home runs and driving in 60 RBI. Additionally, he stole 24 bases and was caught only five times.

That’s correct: Volpe was a 20/20 player last season. It was a breakthrough of sorts. No Yankees rookie had ever done that before. MLB.com pointed out that Juan Soto will be under the age of 25 on Opening Day.

However, because Soto is only under contract for one season and the Yankees have five more seasons with Volpe, Volpe was the obvious pick.