The new starting shortstop will be the only Yankee to have an extra patch on his sleeve to signify his MLB debut, part of a league-wide initiative that is beginning this season.
Following Volpe’s first game in the major leagues Thursday, the small red, white and blue patch reading “MLB Debut” will be authenticated and then put into a 1-of-1 rookie card in a future Topps set, as part of a partnership between Fanatics Collectibles, MLB and MLB Players Inc. (the business arm of the Players Association).
Every player who makes his MLB debut this season – a group that on Opening Day includes Volpe and Cardinals top prospect Jordan Walker – will wear one of the patches on his jersey.
Anthony Volpe makes his Yankees debut on Thursday with a new number and a special patch.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
After the first game the player gets into, the debut patch will be removed and turned into the relic trading card.
“A Major League player’s debut day is a cause for great celebration and the culmination of many years of hard work,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “Topps has been a great partner to Baseball for decades, and I think this particular initiative is crucial to the development of deeper fan engagement.”
“For a player there is no bigger moment than the first time they step onto a field for their Major League debut,” MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said. “The Debut Patch is one way to capture the timeless nature of this moment and provide fans the opportunity to be part of it by collecting a player worn item.”
Anthony Volpe’s MLB debut will be commemorated with a jersey patch that will be turned into a 1:1 trading card.Fanatics
MIAMI — Omar Narvaez was behind the plate for three of Max Scherzer’s starts this spring and liked the chemistry that was quick to develop between them.
“I know he likes to call some pitches, but I felt even when he was calling his pitches I was right on it with him,” Narvaez said Wednesday after a Mets workout at loanDepot park.
Scherzer is among the pitchers this spring who wore the PitchCom on his glove, allowing him to signal pitches to the catcher when needed, an added option this season with the pitch clock.
Narvaez, a free-agent signing in the offseason, will be behind the plate for Thursday’s opener. Buck Showalter had the option of starting Narvaez or Tomas Nido, whose right-handed bat might not have been preferable against Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara.
“Max doesn’t care, and if he did both these guys he’s comfortable throwing to,” Showalter said. “That worked out well this spring, so you can see why both of them are ranked so high in catching. That is something we feel we have improved in.”
Max Scherzer talks strategy with Omar Narvaez earlier in spring training.Corey Sipkin for the NY Post
Elieser Hernandez will begin the season on the injured list with a right shoulder strain, according to general manager Billy Eppler.
The right-hander, who arrived in an offseason trade with the Marlins, was shaky in spring training as the Mets considered him for the bullpen and as potential rotation depth. Hernandez has been playing catch.
Eppler didn’t officially announce the Opening Day roster — the Mets have until noon on Thursday — but acknowledged the Mets aren’t bringing a taxi squad to Miami.
Those who were with the team Wednesday (meaning they will be placed on the Opening Day roster) included relievers Dennis Santana and Stephen Nogosek for the final two bullpen openings.
Bryce Montes de Oca was set to undergo surgery on his right elbow to remove loose bodies, according to Eppler.
The right-hander was sidelined midway in spring training with discomfort in his forearm.
The Mets have not divulged a timetable for his return to the mound.
The Mets have won five of their last six season openers and 13 of their last 17.
Their .656 winning percentage on Opening Day is the best among major league teams.
The Mets lost their first eight openers and have posted a 40-13 record on Opening Day since then.
Scherzer will become the first pitcher to start for and against the Mets on Opening Day.
The right-hander was the Nationals’ starting pitcher for the 2015 and ’19 season openers against the Mets.
The way baseball is played will be dramatically changed this year by the pitch clock, but it won’t be the only difference in how you see and hear the games.
The MLB sports media Hot Stove was burning this offseason, which means whom you see, what you hear and how you view games are going to be significantly different. Let’s go through the biggest MLB media storylines heading into 2023:
1. The Captain to Fox Sports
If you told Derek Jeter when he was a player that he’d one day be part of the media, he probably would have said, “Good one, buddy.” The 48-year-old has joined Fox Sports, however, and is expected to be on its big pregame shows for the London regular-season game in June, the All-Star Game and the postseason, including the World Series. He will be teammates again with Alex Rodriguez, who actually signed off on Jeter joining Fox Sports. Executives there, knowing the history between the two, wanted to make sure it was cool with Rodriguez, according to sources. It was. Now, he, Jeter and David Ortiz will be joking around with host Kevin Burkhardt.
2. YES’ old new look
YES abandoned ship on trying something different, giving up on Carlos Beltran and Cameron Maybin as game analysts after a one-year run.
Beltran was going to be demoted to the studio, but instead fled to work in the Mets’ front office. Maybin, while he wasn’t perfect, strangely wasn’t brought back. He’s doing games in Detroit after he and YES president of programming and production John Filippelli had a falling out, according to sources, and that was that.
Meanwhile, Paul O’Neill, after working from his basement last season due to his refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19, is expected back in the booth.
Derek Jeter is joining Fox Sports this seasonGetty Images
While whether he has been vaccinated or not is not known, O’Neill is expected to be standing next to Michael Kay in the booth for games. David Cone, John Flaherty and Jeff Nelson will also call games, with Bob Lorenz and Jack Curry manning the studio and some appearances from newcomer Todd Frazier. Filippelli has made a run at Jeter to be in the Yankees’ booth, but so far has been unsuccessful.
Ryan Ruocco will return on play-by-play when Kay is out, while Meredith Marakovits will be on sideline duty. Justin Shackill will pinch-hit on reporting and host duties.
3. YES going direct to consumer
Let’s be clear: If you have YES on cable or satellite and you figured out how to use Amazon Prime Video last season, nothing will change in that regard. As The Post previously reported, YES hoped to unveil its new direct-to-consumer option by Opening Day.
While they haven’t said yet if it will be ready by then, it is expected soon. That means if you don’t have cable, you will be able to watch the YES games. How much will it cost? That is not yet known. In Boston, the Red Sox network, NESN, charged $30 per month and included eight tickets to games at Fenway.
Meanwhile, Apple TV+ now will require a subscription to watch their Friday night games. The Yankees and Mets are slated to be on four times each.
Cameron Maybin split with YES NetworkMLB Photos via Getty Images
4. Boone for Jomboy
For decades, the Yankees manager has had a paid radio appearance on WFAN or ESPN New York. In a sign of the changing media times, Aaron Boone will appear on the podcast from the fan-created Jomboy Media. Boone will do his 15-20 minutes via Zoom for the “Talkin’ Baseball” pod with Jimmy “Jomboy” O’Brien and Jake Storiale on Tuesdays.
5. Howie Rose has new partners
The sound of the Mets on WCBS radio will be dramatically different. The great Howie Rose returns on a 125-game schedule, while Wayne Randazzo is doing TV for the Angels.
Keith Raad, 29, will replace Randazzo as Rose’s main partner. Raad will be the lead play-by-player when Rose is off. Meanwhile, Pat McCarthy, 26, is the new pregame and postgame host and will call games with Raad when Rose, 68, is off.
6. Shack attack on Yankees radio
While John Sterling, who will turn 85 in July, will still call the bulk of the Yankees’ games, Shackil, 36, will be on play-by-play for around 30 contests. Shackil will put himself in position to potentially replace Sterling when Sterling retires in 2057, when he turns 119.
Shackil will handle the pregame and postgame shows, replacing Sweeny Murti, who moved on to a job with MLB.
Youngster in the booth Suzyn Waldman, 76, will return as the full-time radio analyst, a position she began in 2005.
7. Gary, Keith and Ron set record
Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling are entering their 18th season, making them the longest-running Mets TV team, surpassing Bob Murphy, Lindsey Nelson and Ralph Kiner, according to SNY. The trio didn’t need that accomplishment to be considered legendary.
Keith Raad is joining the SNY boothInstagram
Funny sidenote: Nearly two decades ago, when SNY was figuring out its crew, Cohen was SNY’s second choice after Dave O’Brien, while SNY basically passed on Darling, who had struggled during a previous stint in Washington. After David Cone turned down SNY, Darling got his shot. The rest is New York sportscasting history.
8. The pitch clock will impact the broadcasts
The 15-second pitch clock will impact how games are called. We asked Rose over text what he thought.
“I actually find myself relying to a certain extent on my hockey broadcasting skills,” Rose said. “It’s a somewhat different, more intense focus on multiple things simultaneously. It’s no longer enough to simply check the length of a baserunner’s lead, or the way the defense is shading a hitter.
“I now have to devise a system to track the number of picks or step-offs by the pitcher, a timeout by the hitter, whether that hitter is ‘alert’ when the clock reaches :08 or, of course, the time remaining on the pitch clock. I was caught [once during spring training] having forgotten the number of previous picks during a specific plate appearance, unsure if one had come during the previous or current one. It has also forced me to edit myself while telling a story, relating an anecdote or relaying a fact. Brevity has never been a strength of mine. (As proven by this response.)”
Alex Rodriguez and Michael Kay did not wish to name specific dream guests for their ESPN Kay-Rod broadcasts, so we are taking it upon ourselves to do so for them.
On a conference call to promote their alternative “Sunday Night Baseball” telecasts for the upcoming season, The Post asked Kay and Rodriguez about who they would most want to have on the show.
“I like mischief,” Kay said.
“So anybody that could rile up Alex would be a dream guest. People from his past, not to name names, but I thought it was great to have Derek Jeter last year, and there was a lot of anticipation for that.
“If we could get people from Alex’s past, maybe people that he dated, not naming names, I think that would be fun.”
Since they declined to name specifics, here are some guests who would achieve the goal of peak awkwardness.
ESPN’s Kay-Rod broadcast kicks off with Rangers-Phillies on Sunday night on ESPN2.ESPN PR
Ben Affleck
Affleck is a die-hard Red Sox fan, and could be fun guest for the rivalry with the Yankees.
This also buries the lead, that he is married to Jennifer Lopez, A-Rod’s ex-fiancée, for the second time.
Because Jeter has already gone on the program, Affleck might be the next person out there who would make their spot appointment TV.
Madonna
Madonna falls into the the list of people who A-Rod has dated in the past — at least they were rumored to have in 2008.
She has a connection to baseball, having starred in “A League of Their Own” in 1992.
Red Sox fans taunt A-Rod with photos of Madonna in 2008.Getty Images
Bronson Arroyo
During the 2004 ALCS between the Yankees and Red Sox, A-Rod stirred up a big controversy when he swatted the ball out of Arroyo’s glove after hitting a slow roller down the first base line.
“I thought it was a little unprofessional,” Arroyo said at the time.
For his part, A-Rod explained what he should’ve done differently.
“I knew [Arroyo] was coming. I knew the line belongs to me. Maybe looking back, I should have tried to run him over,” Rodriguez said of the incident.
Dallas Braden
Braden is another former MLB pitcher who previously beefed with A-Rod.
In a 2010 game between the Yankees and A’s, A-Rod jogged over the mound to return to first base after a foul ball went out of play.
KayRod airs eight times throughout the 2023 MLB season, at 7 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2. The first edition comes on April 2 when the Phillies play at the Rangers.
We know who has earned jobs in February and March. Soon we will learn how tenuous those jobs can be for players desperately clutching onto roster spots in April and May.
The Yankees and Mets are leaving sunny camps in Tampa and Port St. Lucie, respectively, but a handful of players will bring especially hot seats wherever they go.
Among Yankees and Mets, who will feel the most pressure to perform as soon as the regular season begins this week?
Josh Donaldson: At 37, he is on a quest to prove he still has more in the tank. If he doesn’t, Yankees fans who no longer have Joey Gallo around as a piñata will find the next outlet for their frustration.
Josh Donaldson has tried to retool his swing after striking out in 27.1 percent of his plate appearances last season.Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Here are Donaldson’s OPS numbers the past four seasons — see if you notice a trend:
2019: .900 2020: .842 2021: .827 2022: .682
Last year, he played excellent defense at third base, but his bat never got going. It is possible the 2015 MVP simply does not have the bat speed any longer, but the early returns for what Donaldson hopes will be a bounce-back season have shown some hope.
Donaldson has demonstrated solid punch in the Grapefruit League, with four home runs in 15 games. Donaldson retooled his swing in the offseason, and appears to have a less dramatic leg lift, perhaps a concession that he needs to get his bat off his shoulders sooner.
And he will need to hit soon. If he is batting .200 without much power in mid-May, the Yankees could make DJ LeMahieu their everyday third baseman.
Aaron Hicks: Another possible heir to the dreaded Gallo throne. Hicks’ ninth season in The Bronx will be a pivotal one. The longest-tenured Yankee has been a mess at the plate (and occasionally in the field) the past two seasons: He has played a combined 162 games, hit .211 and knocked 12 home runs. His power and his on-base proclivities have abandoned him.
Oswaldo Cabrera will start the season as the Yankees’ primary utility man, but could find himself with a regular outfield role should Aaron Hicks falter.USA TODAY Sports
At 33, the outfielder will try to show that after his 2021 season was ruined by a wrist injury, 2022 was an aberration. Hicks, feeling healthy, is the likely Opening Day left fielder, and should see time in center, too, with Harrison Bader out for at least a few weeks to open the season.
If Hicks does not hit, the boos would arrive quickly. His competition will include fan favorite Oswaldo Cabrera and a fourth outfielder — the winner of a late roster battle among Estevan Florial, Willie Calhoun and Rafael Ortega.
Gleyber Torres: The second baseman is 26, a two-time All-Star and coming off a solid season in which he drilled 24 home runs and posted a .761 OPS. He is probably the fourth-best hitter on a very good hitting team.
With an infield deep in players and prospects, the Yankees might find Gleyber Torres is more useful in a trade than on the field.Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
But Torres has grown into a solid major leaguer rather than a superstar, and the Yankees’ infield depth could prompt some difficult decisions. If Donaldson hits, where would LeMahieu’s at-bats come? If Oswald Peraza tears up Triple-A pitching, would the Yankees find a spot for the 22-year-old at the big-league level?
The Yankees have plenty of infielders, and Torres would have a trade market if the Yankees decide to cash him in.
Eduardo Escobar: The Mets’ version of Torres. Escobar is a fine major leaguer — even with his struggles last season, his 106 OPS+ indicates he was 6 percent better than the average hitter — but the options behind him offer more upside.
After hitting .325 this spring, Mets third-base prospect Brett Baty may not be in Triple-A for long.AP
Brett Baty, who is the future at third base in Queens, hit .325 this spring before getting sent to minor league camp. Mark Vientos will try to show at Triple-A Syracuse that he can be a major league defender somewhere — whether at an infield corner or in left field — after a loud Grapefruit League season in which he hit everything hard.
Escobar, who was nearly replaced by Carlos Correa, will hear the footsteps if he doesn’t hit immediately. He struggled the first few months of last season before a torrid September buoyed his numbers. In the Grapefruit League, the 34-year-old is hitting .118.
Tommy Pham: Ruf was designated for assignment, which made Pham a contender for plenty of DH at-bats against opposing lefties and a contender to absorb the boos that would have been directed at Ruf.
Tommy Pham appears to be in line for DH at-bats against lefty pitchers, as well as being deployed by Buck Showalter as a fourth outfielder.Corey Sipkin for the NY Post
Like Ruf, Pham is on the older side (35) and arrived in Queens with a history of hitting southpaws well (a .784 OPS against lefties last season). And like Ruf, Pham has had a poor spring, batting just 7-for-45 (.156) with a double as the only extra-base hit.
Unlike Ruf, Pham can play a decent corner-outfield spot and thus is a bit more valuable. But if he does not swing well quickly, the shouts would get louder that Vientos can handle left field and, more notably, can manhandle lefty pitching.
Julius Randle added 26 points, RJ Barrett finished with 19 and Mitchell Robinson contributed a few ferocious blocks to stop the Rockets, who were blown away in the second half and look fully ready for their shot at Victor Wembanyama.
Immanuel Quickley had tongues wagging with a 40-point outburst in the Knicks’ no-fuss win over the Rockets.Getty Images
The fifth-place Knicks (43-33) moved 2 ½ games up on the idle Nets and Heat, and the Heat (after playing Tuesday night in Toronto) invade the Garden on Wednesday.
If the Knicks beat Miami, they not would only gain further separation, but would take the season series, which would be the first tiebreaker in the case of a tie.
And while it’s too soon for the Knicks to look ahead to Friday, it’s never too soon for us: Tom Thibodeau’s team will head to Cleveland to face off against the current No. 4 seed, with Donovan Mitchell & Co. likely awaiting the Knicks in the first round.
The best player in the sport against the best team in the sport.
Friday night box office at the Final Four.
West Des Moines’ Caitlin Clark led Iowa to its first national semifinal in nearly 30 years with a logo-3-draining, dime-dropping, crowd-hyping 41-point triple-double Sunday night — the first NCAA Tournament triple-double of 30 or more, women’s or men’s — that would be called bravura if it weren’t nearly routine for college basketball’s marquee attraction.
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark left little doubt she is the biggest star on the college basketball stage with a 41-point triple-double to get the Hawkeyes into the Final Four.USA TODAY Sports
And standing in her way now is juggernaut South Carolina, the undefeated (36-0) defending national champions who won their 42nd game in a row by dispatching Maryland, 86-75, in the Elite Eight on Monday night.
(What, you didn’t think we were talking about San Diego State or something ridiculous like that?)
South Carolina’s size, rebounding and defense tend to grind opponents to dust, and Dawn Staley has a roster so deep, her second five probably would have made the Sweet 16.
The Gamecocks have Aliyah Boston, last season’s player of year who’s ready to go No. 1 in next month’s WNBA draft. And they have Brea Beal, an All-America-caliber defender who likely will draw the Clark assignment.
But Clark is unguardable right now. She’s bending the dimensions of the game with her shooting and playmaking. She’s drawing new viewers with her hype, and living up to every bit of it.
And Friday night — at 9 p.m. (more like 9:30) on ESPN — she’ll try to pull off her more impressive feat yet by dethroning the champs.
— Jonathan Lehman
Checking the Darin Ruf trade receipts
Acquired last year in hopes he lift the Mets’ offense, Darin Ruf was released by the team Monday after hitting .152 in 28 games.Corey Sipkin for the NY Post
J.D. Davis: In 49 games with the Giants, Davis morphed back into the slugger he once was. Davis finally got consistent playing time and drilled eight home runs en route to posting an .857 OPS.
To begin this season, though, Davis will face the same problem he could not overcome with the Mets: staying ready while not in the lineup every game. The Giants are expected to start David Villar at third, LaMonte Wade Jr. at first and Joc Pederson at DH. But they expect Davis to see plenty of time against lefties and while spelling the regulars.
Thomas Szapucki: The young lefty pitched well with the Giants last season, allowing three runs in 13 ⅔ innings (1.98 ERA) out of the bullpen, but he recorded just one out in spring training. Szapucki felt arm discomfort that is being called left arm neuropathy. He is expected to see a doctor this week in St. Louis, and could need surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome.
J.D. Davis has been a revitalized hitter in the Giants lineup, but appears slated to largely play as part of a platoon.Getty Images
LHP Nick Zwack: The lefty starter was rising through the Mets’ system — needing just four outings in Low-A St. Lucie before a promotion to High-A Brooklyn — when he was dealt. The Giants kept Zwack as a starter in High-A, and he pitched to a 3.99 ERA in 29 ⅓ innings in San Francisco’s system. In all, he struck out 132 hitters in 105 ⅔ innings last season.
RHP Carson Seymour: Like Zwack, Seymour made quick work of St. Lucie and was beginning to master High-A competition when he packed his bags. The 6-foot-6 righty with high-90s heat thrived in the Giants’ system, where he struck out 43 batters in 29 ⅓ innings, including a 6 ⅓ -inning, two-hit, 13-strikeout gem in late August. At 24, he is still a few steps from the majors, but the Giants will let him grow.
PORT ST. LUCIE — Adam Ottavino was in the bullpen for Team USA’s game in the World Baseball Classic when he started receiving the news from teammates who had trickled out in the early innings after watching the scene unfold on TV.
Edwin Diaz was not only injured, but had been carried off the field with some kind of leg injury that occurred in Team Puerto Rico’s postgame celebration after defeating the Dominican Republic.
“I had a pit in my stomach for the rest of the night because I love Edwin and I love the Mets,” Ottavino told The Post on Sunday.
Diaz is likely lost for the season after tearing the patellar tendon in his right knee and undergoing subsequent surgery, leaving a hole in the Mets bullpen, but one that Ottavino fully expects others to fill.
Ottavino intends to be part of the solution after serving as the primary setup man for Diaz last season. Now he will team with David Robertson, who figures to receive most of the ninth-inning work in save situations.
Adam OttavinoCorey Sipkin for NY Post
“We still have a lot of capable guys,” Ottavino said. “David has more experience than I do, and I am going to draw from his experience, but really try to make this a collective thing. Everybody is going to have to step up throughout the whole bullpen roster and we still think we have a real good chance out there. We still think we have really good guys, so we just have to go out there and show it.”
He added: “We have too many guys. We don’t have enough spots for all the guys we think are major league quality so that is a good place to be. There will be a lot of hands in it this year and then we’ll see what our needs are as we go.”
On Sunday, the Mets closed in on finalizing that bullpen for Opening Day by reassigning T.J. McFarland and Jimmy Yacabonis to minor league camp and Jeff Brigham to Triple-A Syracuse. It left the Mets with nine relievers for what Buck Showalter says will be eight spots, but Showalter conceded that Elieser Hernandez — who belongs to the group of nine — is viewed more as a starter than a reliever.
It leaves the Mets with Robertson, Ottavino, Drew Smith, Brooks Raley, Tommy Hunter, John Curtiss, Dennis Santana and Stephen Nogosek as the likely bullpen to begin the season.
“There is always that dynamic of somebody who takes that next step and they become the dominant guy,” Ottavino said. “It happened in my career, it happened in Robertson’s career, it happened in Edwin’s career. At some point you go from being a middle guy to a late guy. Maybe we can have some guys step up in that role this year and take the pressure off everybody.”
Edwin Diaz is expected to miss the season.Getty Images
Ottavino, who returned to the Mets on a two-year contract worth $14.5 million over the winter, pitched to a 2.06 ERA in 66 appearances for the Mets last season with three saves. Over his 12-year major league career, he owns 33 saves.
“I have gotten plenty of chances, even last year I got some chances, so I don’t think about it much different,” Ottavino said, referring to potentially closing games. “You just play the scoreboard a little more in the ninth knowing what kind of cushion you have or you don’t have and you try to take advantage of the fact that usually they need base runners and that sort of stuff. There are little nuances, but at the end of the day you are trying to get out every hitter in front of you so it’s the same deal.”
TAMPA — The Yankees will have a 21-year-old New Jersey product starting at shortstop on Opening Day.
Anthony Volpe has won the shortstop battle the Yankees held during spring training, consistently showing off his all-around game and the high potential that team officials had been raving about since drafting him in the first round in 2019.
Volpe entered camp seemingly with the longest odds to win the job, with Isiah Kiner-Falefa the incumbent and Oswald Peraza ahead in his development path after making a one-month cameo at the end of last season.
Unlike Kiner-Falefa and Peraza, Volpe was not on the 40-man roster and had only played 22 games at Triple-A, a knock because the Yankees typically like their prospects to conquer each level of the minor leagues before moving up.
Anthony Volpe will be the Yankees’ Opening Day shortstop.Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post
The Delbarton grad never let his foot off the gas pedal, making it just about impossible for the Yankees not to carry him on the roster immediately out of camp.
Yankees captain Aaron Judge all but foreshadowed the move earlier this spring when asked about Volpe’s lack of Triple-A experience, saying the best players should be up with the Yankees regardless of age.
Since then, Volpe has only continued to make a loud case for the job.
“He just shows up ready to work,” Judge said Saturday after Volpe came up a home run short of the cycle. “He’s prepared. Very rarely do you see that at such a young age. There’s usually some — a little immature, a little unprepared or the moment’s too big. But he seems ready to go every single game I’ve played behind him.”
Anthony Volpe impressed the Yankees throughout all of spring training.USA TODAY Sports
Volpe will be the first rookie in the Yankees’ Opening Day lineup since Judge in 2017.
He will also be the youngest Yankee to start on Opening Day since a 21-year-old Derek Jeter did so in 1996, according to MLB.com.
Volpe had a scheduled day off on Sunday, but through 17 Grapefruit League games, he was batting .314 with a 1.064 OPS and five steals.
The addition of Volpe to the Yankees lineup could inject some needed athleticism, especially in the first season in which the bases will be bigger and pickoffs will be limited.
Anthony Volpe after hitting a home run against the Twins on March 24, 2023.AP
Last season, when those rules were already in place in the minor leagues, Volpe stole 50 bases in 132 games between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
While scouts are split on whether Volpe’s long-term future is at shortstop or second base, there is little doubt about his offense, baseball IQ or how he carries himself on and off the field.
“He just comes to beat your ass,” a National League scout who has seen Volpe often in the minor leagues said recently. “He’s just that guy who’s in the middle of anything good that happens almost every day — offensively, defensively, baserunning.”
Sometimes it’s a team overcoming a big hole in a series, such as the Red Sox digging themselves out of an 0-3 hole in the 2004 ALCS (sorry, Yankees fans) or the 1992 Bills coming back against the Oilers after trailing by 32 points.
Other times it’s players, such as Alex Smith playing football again after nearly losing his right leg, a hobbled Willis Reed returning to the court to inspire his team to a Game 7 victory in the 1970 NBA Finals or 39-year-old Justin Verlander winning a Cy Young Award after coming back from Tommy John surgery.
Sometimes, it’s just a player coming off a down year (or years), trying to prove they still have what it takes to compete at a high level.
No one is going to pretend Miami’s Trevor Rogers had a good season in 2022. After finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2021, he won just four times in 23 starts last year.
He owned a 5.47 ERA and walked 9.4 percent of the batters he faced, the 20th-worst mark among pitchers who threw a minimum of 100 innings. Opponents also hit .272 against him, the 19th-highest in the majors.
The Marlins’ Trevor RogersAP
But there are reasons why Rogers is among Roto Rage’s favorite arms to target late in drafts this year.
Over his last four starts of 2022, Rogers had a 3.72 ERA, 29.9 percent strikeout rate, 1.09 WHIP and a .233 opponents average. He also had a 3.37 FIP and 2.66 xFIP, which indicates he was unlucky.
Rogers has also looked solid this spring, limiting opponents to a .217 average and maintaining a 1.00 WHIP with a 17-3 strikeout-walk rate. (Just ignore the 10 earned runs, it’s spring training.)
Rogers is still just 25 years old and only one year removed from going 7-8 with a 2.64 ERA, 10.62 strikeouts per nine, .214 opponents average and a 14 percent swinging-strike rate. He had a sophomore slump, it happens. He still has all the talent and upside he had in 2021.
That happens to work out great for fantasy managers because Rogers isn’t being drafted as a top-30 pitcher, the way he was last year. His average draft position of 240.18, according to Fantasy Alarm, makes it worth taking a shot on his bounce-back potential. Considering Miami’s track record for developing young pitchers, Roto Rage believes this is a perfect low-risk, high-reward situation.
Sean Manaea (240.03) is another pitcher who was pretty awful in 2022, posting career-worst marks in ERA (4.96) and homers allowed (29) while with San Diego. His 2.85 walks per nine innings and 1.30 WHIP were his worst marks since 2017, and his 90.3 mph exit velocity ranked in the bottom 8 percent of the majors.
But Roto Rage believes there is hope for the 31-year-old lefty as he moves to San Francisco — and it goes beyond the Giants’ recent history of resuscitating middling careers of pitchers Kevin Gausman, Carlos Rodon, Alex Cobb, Alex Wood and Anthony DeSclafani.
The Giants’ Sean Manaea delivers a pitch during a spring training a game.USA TODAY Sports
Despite the brutal numbers, Manaea’s 12 percent swinging-strike rate (15.6 percent with his changeup and 13.6 percent with his slider) ranked 21st in the majors. That is a good sign, as was the 4.05 xERA and 3.96 xFIP. An even better sign: His velocity has been up this spring, and over 17 ²/₃ innings he had a 14-3 strikeout-walk rate with a 0.96 WHIP and .215 opponents average. If he can stay healthy, keep his velocity up and continue to generate swings and misses, being in San Francisco will be a godsend — and fantasy managers will reap the rewards.
Kenta Maeda of Minnesota (284.4) had a career-worst 4.66 ERA in 2021 before undergoing Tommy John surgery that forced him to miss all of 2022. From 2016-20, however, Maeda was 53-36 with a 3.75 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 9.9 strikeouts per nine. Throughout his career, he has a 13.5 percent swinging-strike rate — and that includes a 20.7 percent rate with his slider, a pitch opposing batters have hit .193 against, and 20.9 percent with his splitter, which opponents have hit .180 against. Sure, we haven’t seen him in a while, but we know what he is capable of doing when healthy.
Here’s one more for you: Detroit’s Eduardo Rodriguez (283.72) made just 17 starts in what became a roller-coaster 2021 season (4.05 ERA, 3.4 BB/9, career-low 7.5 swinging-strike rate) marred by injuries, and the lefty stepping away from the team for personal reasons. If we go by spring training numbers (no earned runs over 13 innings, 15-2 K-BB, .229 opponent average), the Tigers’ Opening Day starter looks to be worth a flier.
TAMPA — Gerrit Cole got through his fifth and final Grapefruit League start on Friday feeling healthy and ready for the regular season.
Next up is Opening Day in The Bronx.
Cole tossed 5 ²/₃ innings of one-run ball against the Twins, working his pitch count up to 84 without issuing a walk and striking out three in his final spring tuneup.
“It was a good day,” Cole said after the Yankees’ 6-4 loss at Steinbrenner Field.
Cole’s fastball averaged 96.4 mph — down a tick from where it was earlier this spring — but neither he nor manager Aaron Boone was concerned.
“I saw a lot of 94-95, but I saw some sevens and eights, too,” Boone said. “I think he was wanting to do some different things, wanting to get his changeup involved a little bit more today, do some things from a sequencing standpoint. I thought it was a good day for him of things he wanted to accomplish heading into Opening Day.”
Gerrit Cole pitches against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning of a spring training game.AP Aaron Boone is not concerned about Gerrit Cole’s decreased velocity. Getty Images
After walking off the mound in the sixth inning, Cole got a high-five from his son, Caden, who was waiting in the stands just next to the dugout.
Across five starts this spring, Cole posted a 3.32 ERA with 27 strikeouts and only one walk in 21 ²/₃ innings.
Aaron Judge’s arm works just as well from left field as it does from right field.
Making his fourth start of the spring in left field on Friday, Judge got much more action than he did in the first three games, including a chance to throw out Twins infielder Edouard Julien as he tried to stretch a single into a double.
Judge went back to the left-field wall to field the ball on a bounce, then turned and fired to nab Julien at second base.
Aaron Judge makes a throw from left field during the Yankees’ spring training game against the Twins. USA TODAY Sports
Judge, who could start at times in left field at Yankee Stadium so Giancarlo Stanton can play in right, also tracked down an array of fly balls and handled them well.
“Those are classic tester left field balls,” Boone said. “The slicer over towards the line, the slicer back in the gap, obviously a great throw. Good to see him have some balls unique to left field. Thought he looked really comfortable.”
Jimmy Cordero threw 1 ²/₃ scoreless innings in relief of Cole and struck out three, further strengthening his case to make the Opening Day roster. His spot seems all but locked up.
“Cordero has put himself right there in a good spot,” Boone said.
Carlos Rodon (forearm muscle strain) came out of a bullpen session Thursday feeling good and will likely throw another bullpen session on Monday, when he will mix in breaking balls. If he continues to feel healthy, a live batting practice session would come next.
NORTH PORT, Fla. — Pete Alonso, in a sense, feels as if he spent the last two weeks adding to his postseason experience.
Limited to three playoff games last year in his postseason debut because of the Mets’ early October exit, the first baseman savored playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic and receiving another dose of high-intensity competition.
“It’s just an addicting feeling,” Alonso said Thursday upon rejoining the Mets for their 2-2 Grapefruit League tie against the Braves. “And to play playoff type baseball early this year I think is going to be an extremely important experience and learning thing for me.
“I am just happy I did it because I got a taste of playoff baseball, it was short-lived, only three games last year, and the result wasn’t there but I wanted more. And to be able to jump right in during spring and be able to experience that and participate, it’s really special.”
Jeff McNeil and Adam Ottavino, two other Mets who played for Team USA — which lost to Japan in Tuesday’s tournament final —were scheduled to work out in Port St. Lucie in the sprint to prepare for next Thursday’s opener in Miami.
Alonso appeared in five games in the tournament and went 2-for-14 (.143). Alonso, who was behind reigning National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt on the depth chart, said he “100 percent” would like to play in the next WBC, which is scheduled for 2026.
Pete Alonso celebrates after hitting an RBI single in the third inning against Team Cuba during the World Baseball Classic Semifinals.Getty Images
He cited the camaraderie of playing with some of the game’s biggest stars for a prolonged stretch with national pride at stake.
“The result wasn’t the best, but I wish obviously Mike had gotten on, but Shohei executed it and good for him, good for them, good for Japan,” Alonso said.
“Usually an All-Star Game, even though it’s a great event, it’s kind of a ‘hi and bye’ type thing. But to be actually in [a tournament] and competing at an extremely high level, not just playing the game but competing for your country, it’s really special to have that national pride.”
Diaz, celebrating on the field following a Team Puerto Rico victory, tore the patellar tendon in his right knee and underwent surgery.
The likelihood is Diaz will miss the entire season.
Edwin Diaz is helped off the field after being injured during the on-field celebration, and he expected to be out for the season.Getty Images
“The one thing I am going to miss is who he is as a person, his impact in the clubhouse on a day-to day-basis, not just on the field,” Alonso said. “We are going to miss him on the field, but I know we have got some bad dudes ready to step up. We have talent and guys that I know are going to be ready to step up. I’m excited. I’m excited to see how we face adversity and adversity comes in many forms and hopefully Eddie has a healthy and speedy recovery.”
“One can be hopeful that [Diaz] comes back and pitches in the playoffs, but his body is going to pretty much dictate everything, so I just want him to get back as quickly and healthy as possible,” Alonso said. “We are going to miss him, but we have got some talented individuals that are going to step up.”
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