Anthony Volpe will appear for the Yankees’ shortstop Thursday when New York hosts the San Francisco Giants at 1:05 p.m. ET. When he does, he’ll wear a new number: No. 11, instead of his spring No. 77. As it turns out, Volpe decided to make a phone call before making the switch.
According to Jack Carey of YES NetworkVolpe called longtime Yankees player Brett Gardner, the last member of the team to wear number 11, and made sure he was OK with it before accepting the numbers as his own. Gardner, of course, had a decent career with the Yankees, compiling more than 44 wins above replacement over 14 big-league seasons.
Whether or not Volpe can do as much justice during his Yankees career remains to be seen. Earlier this spring, CBS Sports named him the No. 12 MVP of the match. Here’s what we wrote:
Volpi enjoyed a breakout 2021 season, hosting 27 times after adding muscle to his frame. He didn’t match that performance last season—he conspicuously struggled pitching 22 games for Triple-A, hitting 30 percent of the time—and thus delayed his debut until sometime next summer. Volpe is still legitimate as an above-average hitter who can contribute in every slash category. Defensively, he’ll have to continue to prove he can make all the plays quickly despite having a substandard arm. It is likely that he will end up in the cornerstone.
For those wondering, Volpe will become the 32nd player in Yankees franchise history to wear number 11, joining a group that includes Gary Sheffield, Chuck Knoblauch, Fred Stanley, Hector Lopez, Lefty Gomez, and Witt Hoyt to name a few.