Flying up the rankings

Prospect rankings can often be inconsistent and arbitrary. Many in the Top 100 at any given time won't have an impact in the Major Leagues.

Still, wouldn't you rather your team have a few high-ranking prospects?

The Yankees haven't gotten a ton out of their most recent first round draft picks. Outside of Aaron Judge, many either didn't make it, were traded, or are still finding their way in the minors. There have been short bursts of success, but by and large their picks have underwhelmed over the past decade. That happens when you frequently pick in the late 20s and don't have access to top five talent.

In 2019, the Yankees selected a local product, high school short stop Anthony Volpe from Watchung, NJ. He was committed to Vanderbilt, but the Yanks signed him away. Many felt the pick was fine, maybe a slight reach, and perhaps not the most exciting prospect.

They were wrong.

In 2019, he played in a few games and his season was cut short by mono.

Then 2020 was a throwaway year for lower level minor leaguers.

But in 2021, the Yankees look like they may have struck gold with their 2019 first rounder. Volpe has been nothing short of amazing. In MLB Pipeline's most recent Top 100 mid-season rankings, Volpe comes in at number 15 overall. Even more impressive, he did this from not being ranked at the start of the season. That is a massive jump.

And for good reason.

Just 20 years old, he has played at A and A+ levels this year, hitting .302/.436/.609 with 21 HRs in 90 games. He has swiped 28 bases, and has walked about as much as he has K'd. He's doing all this at shortstop, while be a few years below the average age of his competition.

A lot can happen between A+ and AA and AAA. But for now, it appears the Yankees have something special brewing, and what a story it would be to see a local kid man SS for the Yankees. With all due respect to Andrew Velazquez, of course.

Volpe cards used to be fairly easy to pluck on TCDB, but now not so much. Still, I managed to get quite a few before he burst onto the scene.

Here's to hoping he continues to flourish and climb the rankings as one of the best prospects in baseball.

All's Wells

I've been going through a busy time at work right.

It doesn't make me different or special. Many of us feel a bit overworked and tired. I'm glad to be working, when I know some aren't that fortunate over the past year and half.

But still, I've found myself to be getting worn out easier, a tad more irritable towards my staff, and wishing the days away. And despite entering our busy season in a couple weeks, I'm set to leave for a week-long beach vacation later today with my wife and kids.

It's coming at a good time, as I plan to recharge my batteries a bit. As parents can attest, a vacation with kids often is not a vacation at all, however, I'll do my best to settle down for a few days without much of an agenda.

So for now, all is well in my world.

And speaking of 'well', Yankees 2020 first rounder Austin Wells is off to a strong pro start, hitting .260/.388/.471 with 10 HRs between two levels of A ball. Wells was one of the better collegiate hitters in the 2020 draft, so it's not surprising to see him doing well, and have the power start to show up.

I only have a few cards of him, but this really pretty Bowman Sapphire recently arrived via a TCDB trade, if you're into that sort of thing. While we don't need Sapphire for every single product, it really does look nice and enhance nearly any card design.

Between Wells and 2019 first rounder Anthony Volpe, the Yankees have made what looks to be two really strong picks in a row. People will say it's the hype machine, but these two are very legitimate prospects who are fun to follow.

And with that, I'm off to go sit in traffic on the Garden State Parkway.

Free Break Spoils

Kerry over at Cards on Cards was kind enough run a free Bowman Mega Box group break. Such a generous thing to do, and I happily snagged the Yanks. I only landed one card in the break, but it was one of 2019 Yankees first rounder Anthony Volpe.

Look at the shine own that thing. I give Topps a lot of flack for the their uninspired card offerings and designs, but Refractors and X-Fractors and Mojo-fractors and anything else "-fractor" do hold up. The card is gorgeous.

I hate that Volpe lost a year of development. So many minor leaguers just starting their pro careers were robbed of important seasons. I'm sure he took part in many workouts, but it's a bummer when a young kid like this misses a whole year (or more!).

Kerry also busted some some Upper Deck Victory, and I came away with a Tino and a Bernie.

Thanks, Kerry!

Delayed season - helpful or hurtful?

With the season being pushed back until who knows when, the Coronavirus has the chance to help certain Yankees players, while hurting some others.

Helpful

The layoff is going to help some ailing guys the Yankees had. Giancarlo Stanton was going to be questionable for Opening Day with a strained calf, but now he has the opportunity to fully heal before baseball resumes. Of course, he'll probably get hurt again, but if he stays the course he'll be ready for Opening Day...whenever that is. This red foil Stadium Club came courtesy of DyeHardFan on TCDB.

Hurtful

The development of prospects! A lot of young players need reps reps reps. They layoff doesn't help them. The Yankees 2019 First Rounder, Anthony Volpe, was probably ticketed for extended spring training anyways, but in general, the more baseball these super young guys are playing, the better.

This card also came from DyeHardFan on TCDB.

Helpful

Another injured Yankees outfielder! Aaron Judge has been suffering from a fractured rib. He should have extra of time to heal now, as it was recommended he rest and not undergo surgery. He was looking at a June-is return. I actually thought he might get surgery once the season was suspended, but it looks like the option was still rest, rest, rest. This '85 Topps Anniversary card came from SawedOffBaldrick on TCDB.

Hurtful

Clint Frazier was likely going to start in the Yankees outfield on Opening Day. Now with the possibility of Judge and Stanton being ready, Frazier may once again be the odd man out. Obviously a lot can happen between now and then, but this doesn't help a guy like him. This card came from woodmangb on TCDB.

Helpful

I guess this could go either way, but I think Gleyber Torres will benefit from the time off. He was making a bit too many errors in spring training, so perhaps now he can regroup on his defense. After all, he's the primary shortstop right now. This sexy RC came from user SShifflett on TCDB.

So while it sucks to have no baseball, and we'll be faced with a likely condensed scheduled, the Yankees should be closer to full strength when the season does fire up.

While I wait for Series One...

Despite my lack of general excitement for 2020 Topps Series One, I still plan to pick some up this weekend. I have some Target gift cards for Christmas, and I usually save them for this occasion. I'll venture out at some point and hopefully will find a blaster or hanger box.

I do have a Yankees team set on the way that I'll use for my Topps Yankees Project TTM requests. I usually order a second to keep intact.

Anyways, while I wait, a few cards did roll in this week, including some TCDB trades. I'll get to those in another post.

This week's eBay mail days consisted of Yankees prospects. For some reason I continue to buy their cards. I haven't gotten any Clarke Schmidts lately because the secret about him being underpriced is out. I'm glad I stocked up when he did. If he has a big Spring Training, I'll definitely unload some because I bought too many.

It's not often you can get the Yankees first rounder for dirt cheap, but I guess that's what happens when all the focus is on Jasson Dominguez. So I found these two Anthony Volpe cards, and won them for a very affordable price. I hope he lights it up this year!

Another guy gaining some traction in the Yanks system is Antonio Cabello. I won this for the minimum bid of $0.99 (Yes, ZZ, it cost $3 to have it shipped so it was $4.34 after shipping and tax). His signature really stinks. One of the worst I've ever seen, I think.

The last card...WTF? Just kidding, I bought it on purpose. I traded it to a guy on TCDB, but after a month he told me the card never arrived, but said not to worry about it. I still felt bad, so I ordered a new one and was going to ship it to him. Right before the replacement arrived, he sent me a note and said it DID actually arrive. So now I have it. I guess I'll put it back on TCDB. At least it's a popular player.

Alrighty, so the 2019 NL ROY and two dudes who might never reach the majors. I guess it really is time to open some 2020 Topps.

The Habit Returns

Out of the blue, Judson from My Cardboard Habit shot me a note on Twitter asking if I wanted the following card:

Um, yes, Judson, I do.

This is a card of 2019 Yankees first rounder Anthony Volpe, and it's numbered to /25. That is pretty awesome, and despite the hard time he likes to give me on Twitter, shows what a good dude Judson is.

Volpe is still just 18, and got off to a so-so start in his pro debut. While his average wasn't great at .215, he did get on base at a .349 clip, showing the eye was there. Volpe comes in at number 10 on the Yankees MLB Pipeline Top 30 list. A local NJ kid, if he ever makes it, the fans will love cheering for the Jersey guy.

Judson, really appreciate this card, and your friendship. Thank you, sir!

The Volpe-lmonster

Ok, Coach Tom, there's only one Vogelmonster. I won't try to steal this from you.

But the Yankees have a Killer V coming in a few years, and he goes by the name of Anthony Volpe, their 2019 1st round pick out of NJ. The Yankees signed Volpe away from Vanderbilt, and he spent his first season at rookie ball Pulaski this year. He hit .215 in 150 PAs, although showed good patience with a .349 OBP.

I don't put much stock into a high schoolers first stint in pro ball. They are most likely away from home for the first time, playing deep into the summer after their high school season end. There's a lot going on. Just going through the reps and preparing like a pro is valuable experience.

I sent Volpe a TTM request earlier this summer, and this past week received these two cards in return:

Awesome! Love snagging a first rounder's autograph.

I look forward to seeing how Volpe progresses in his first full season next year.

Signed!

Yesterday, the Yankees signed their 2019 MLB Draft First Round Pick, SS Anthony Volpe from Delbarton School in nearby Morristown, NJ.

Volpe is someone who comes with great makeup, although reports were divided on if he was worthy of the 30th overall pick. Obviously the Yankees have had a chance to see him up close and personal in their own backyard, plus were doing double duty scouting his teammate, Jack Leiter.

He was committed to Vanderbilt, but I'm sure the Yankees had an idea they'd be able to sign up before committing their first pick for him. The Yanks have a bit of a history with reaching for high schoolers in Round 1, so hopefully Volpe turns out to be a franchise cornerstone.

On Draft night, I was able to snag this autograph of Volpe. I think I actually got it before the pick was official, as the Yankees connection to Volpe was really heating up. As Zippy Zappy's excellent post showed, a lot of these first round picks already have cards by the time their names are called. An on-card autograph of a Yankees first rounder was just too hard to pass up.