TAMPA — After sitting out the loaded free-agent shortstop sweepstakes over the last two offseasons, it comes to this for the Yankees.
Aaron Boone’s club enters spring training planning to hold a bona fide competition at shortstop, with the incumbent Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and two of their top prospects, Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe, set to vie for the job in a battle that will loom throughout camp.
As the Yankees begin yet another spring in pursuit of their first World Series title since 2009, they are coming off being swept by the Astros in an ALCS in which they started three different shortstops. They spent the offseason working on bringing back new captain Aaron Judge on a nine-year, $360 million contract and then bolstered their rotation by landing left-hander Carlos Rodon on a six-year, $162 million deal.
But no position will have more eyes on it this spring than shortstop, where the Yankees could turn back to Kiner-Falefa if needed or hand the keys over to the 22-year-old Peraza or 21-year-old Volpe if either of forces his way into the picture. The answer may prove pivotal to the Yankees’ success this year.
“We have some really high-end young kids that are here that we’re really excited about,” general manager Brian Cashman said in December. “Is their future as early as [2023]? That’s yet to be determined. If it’s not, they can still bide some time.”
Twenty-seven years after a 21-year-old Derek Jeter was the rookie starting shortstop for the Yankees on Opening Day, Volpe and Peraza have a chance to stake their claim and show why they are so highly thought of. Volpe enters camp as Baseball America’s No. 14-overall prospect — heralded for his strong makeup even more than his highly rated on-field tools — while Peraza comes in at No. 62 with quality defense and an improving bat.
Whether or not they play up to their high-end potential this spring remains to be seen, but they are squarely on the radar, especially after managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner referred to them last spring as “two incredible prospects I am excited to give a chance to.” He did so while explaining some of the factors why the Yankees did not go after a free-agent shortstop class that included Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, Marcus Semien, Trevor Story and Javier Baez.
Volpe and Peraza’s presence loomed again this past offseason when the free-agent shortstop field of Trea Turner, Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson all ended up somewhere other than The Bronx.
Now, the Yankees are about to find out whether they made the right decision.
On the eve of last spring training, the Yankees acquired Kiner-Falefa as a stopgap until Peraza and/or Volpe were ready, and then tendered him a contract — the sides agreed to a $6 million deal to avoid arbitration — in November. In between, he hit .261 with an 84 OPS-plus (100 is league average) and 22 steals in 142 games, but his defense became enough of an issue that Boone benched him for four of the Yankees’ nine playoff games.
While Boone insisted after the season that Kiner-Falefa “was by and large excellent defensively,” his inconsistent play opened the door for Peraza to get a call-up in September to make his major league debut and make a strong impression.
Volpe, meanwhile, ended the season by playing 22 games at Triple-A. The New Jersey native got off to a slow start to 2022 at Double-A, but over time got back on track and looked more like the hyped prospect the Yankees have anxiously been awaiting.
Is his time now? Peraza would appear to be the slight favorite heading into camp, given his September cameo with the club. Of course, Kiner-Falefa could have something to say about that as well.
But for a club that is setting out once again in hopes of finally getting past the Astros come October, one of the kids could provide the spark it needs. It starts by trying to win the job in camp.
