The Scouts Who Steered Anthony Volpe Toward the Yankees

Before Anthony Volpe ever took the field in the Bronx, a running joke among Yankees scouts signaled that something special was coming. Whenever Volpe came to bat, Northeast area scout Matt Hyde would text colleagues, crosscheckers and superiors the same message: "Volpe's on deck," along with the field where the game was being played.

The texts began during a tournament in Jupiter, Fla., in the fall of Volpe's senior year of high school. Damon Oppenheimer, the Yankees' director of amateur scouting, said the message amounted to an alarm that went something like, "Oh s–t, here we go." Hyde admitted he was so persistent that it became comical.

Volpe, 21, will start at shortstop against the Giants on Opening Day, and he credits Hyde as his first link to the organization. Hyde coached Volpe and Delbarton teammate Jack Leiter, now in the Rangers' system, on the Yankees' under-class Area Code team in the summer of 2017, and again on the upper-class squad the next year. Asked whether he would be a Yankee without Hyde, Volpe answered "definitely" without pausing.

Hyde recalled a game that first summer in Compton, Calif., when Volpe came up with the bases loaded and his team trailing by three. He drove a ball for an inside-the-park grand slam, running through a stop sign to score the winning run. "The moments seemed to always find him," Hyde said.

The Yankees drafted Volpe, who grew up a fan of the club and of Derek Jeter, 30th overall in 2019. But he had a scholarship to Vanderbilt, where Leiter was also headed, and other scouts helped win him over. Oppenheimer spent time with Volpe and his parents, Michael and Isabelle, at tournaments and showcases, and was impressed by both the talent and the character. He tells his scouts to get "on the other side of the fence" and learn about a player from coaches, teachers and family.

Jim Hendry, a former Cubs general manager who now works as a Yankees special assignment scout, followed that advice. He met with the family several times before the draft, even though Volpe appeared set to honor his verbal commitment. At a dinner at Roots Steakhouse in Morristown, N.J., about a month before the draft, Hendry skipped the sales pitch about big league dreams and a multimillion-dollar bonus. He praised Vanderbilt and the education and memories it would provide, and spoke about his own 1991 College World Series experience as a Creighton coach. "I’ll never BS kids," Hendry said. Volpe said the candor "meant a lot to us."

Hendry also told Volpe that if he wanted to be a Yankee, this was his only chance, because a player of his potential would go among the first five picks after three years at Vanderbilt, and the Yankees never pick that high. Volpe said he was about 95 percent set on Vanderbilt until two weeks before the draft, when he chose the "once in a lifetime opportunity" to turn pro with his childhood team.

Volpe also wanted credit to go to the late Kelly Rodman, another Northeast area scout, who grew close to him as a teenager. She died of cancer at 44 in March 2020, a few months after watching him sign with the Yankees. YES Network's Jack Curry reported Wednesday that Volpe will wear No. 11, after wearing 77 all spring. Hyde said Rodman used to wear a No. 11 Yankees jersey at Area Code Games and other scouting events.

"We still miss her," Volpe said. "We’re trying to make her proud." Hyde said Volpe has already done that through the person he is and how he plays, and noted that he keeps a coin from Rodman in his wallet reading "Be Great Today!"

Hyde will be at Yankee Stadium Thursday when Volpe first takes the field at shortstop. He believes Volpe has not reached his full potential. As for the first at-bat in pinstripes, Hyde already has his text ready: "Volpe on deck. Field — Yankee Stadium."