Sometimes less is more.
It’s no secret the New York Yankees need a plan for shortstop after moving Gleyber Torres back to second base.
Conventional wisdom has them chasing one of the big-name, high-priced shortstops in free agency: Houston Astros’ Carlos Correa, Los Angeles Dodgers’ Corey Seager, Colorado Rockies’ Trevor Story and New York Mets’ Javier Baez.
However the Yankees could decide to go another route: come up with a short-term fix until one of their top shortstop prospects is ready for the big leagues.
According to MLB Pipeline, Anthony Volpe is the Yankees’ No. 1 prospect, while Oswald Peraza ranks No. 3. Volpe is 20 and reached High-A Hudson Valley this season. Peraza is 21 and progressed from High-A to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this year.
SNY talked to scouts outside the Yankees organization for their take on the dynamic duo.
On Volpe:
“There’s a lot of David Wright in him. I love a guy like Volpe who plays with his heart. Always doing something, enjoys playing the game.”
“Controlling the strike zone is a finishing-type thing for a guy. The way he did it this year was impressive.”
On Peraza:
“He’s magic with the glove. He’s a really good shortstop, can go any direction, make the charge play. He’s got a plus arm. He’s got a chance to hit. Sneaky power.”
“Defensively, he could probably be in the big leagues right now.”
SNY also talked with MLB.com prospect analyst Jim Callis: Volpe is “someone who could give you 20 home runs or more in the big leagues. ... I think Volpe is a better pure hitter, but ... Peraza is closer than Volpe.”
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Volpe, a New Jersey native, was a first-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft (No. 30 overall). He started the 2021 season at Low-A Tampa, where he hit .302 with 12 home runs in 54 games. At High-A Hudson Valley, Volpe continued to rake, hitting .286 with 15 home runs in 55 games.
Peraza, signed as an international free agent in 2016, hit .306 in 28 games with High-A Hudson Valley, hit .294 with 12 home runs in 79 games with Double-A Somerset and hit .286 in eight games with Triple-A Scranton.
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Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com.
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