Anthony Volpi, 22, a “monster rookie” for Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees, became the first player in the franchise’s 120-year history to reach the 20-homer, 20-steal mark in his debut season.
Volpi started at shortstop, batting third, against Detroit at Comerica Park in Detroit, U.S.A., on April 1. With runners on second and third in the top of the ninth inning and his team trailing 3-0, Volpi, who had 19 home runs and 21 stolen bases on the season the day before, launched a 97-mile-per-hour fastball from pitcher Alex Lang, 27, over the right field fence for a game-tying three-run shot.
In doing so, Volpi became the first Yankees player to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in his first major league season. He is the 15th player in major league history to do so.
Last year, Julio Rodriguez (23-Seattle) and Bobby Witt Jr. (23-Kansas City) went 20-20 as rookies. Rodriguez, in particular, hit the jackpot last year with a 28-homer, 25-steal performance that earned him a mega-contract with Seattle worth up to $470 million over 18 years.
Volpi, a native of New York State, was drafted by the Yankees in the first round (30th overall) of the 2019 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. His contract was worth a whopping $2.7 million (approximately $3,566,697).
Volpi made his major league debut this year, four years after being drafted in the first round. Considering that the 2020 minor leagues were canceled due to COVID-19, it took him just three seasons to reach the big leagues.
At the time of his debut, he was described by local media as “the next Derek Jeter, 49,” a former Yankees captain. His numbers for the season: .219 with 97 hits, 20 home runs, and 57 RBIs in 133 games. While he still lacks accuracy with the ball, he has a good on-base percentage (.411) for a center fielder with a heavy defensive load.
The Yankees are known as the “Evil Empire” of Major League Baseball, having won the World Series a whopping 27 times. The team’s payroll this year totaled $279.36 million, ranking second overall behind the New York Mets.토스카지노
However, their record this season is 65 wins, 69 losses, and a .485 winning percentage, putting them in last place in the American League East. They have four games in hand over fourth-place Boston, making it difficult for them to escape the last place. Last month, they lost nine straight games, and there’s no end in sight. If the season ends this way, the Yankees will have the distinction of not winning at least .500 for the first time in 31 years, since 1992. In this game, the Yankees scored one run in the bottom of the 10th inning to fall to 3-4.
In this situation, Volpi’s 20-20 rookie season is a consolation prize for the crumbling Evil Empire of the Yankees.