It all still seemed like a dream for Anthony Volpe: Finally deciding to go pro after a few sleepless nights, hearing his name called in the MLB draft by the team he grew up rooting for and getting a call from Yankees manager Aaron Boone to congratulate him.
Then he put on the pinstripes for the first time on Monday — the real ones — and it all started to hit him. He was a New York Yankee.
“I’ve been getting goose bumps the whole day,” Volpe said Monday at Yankee Stadium after signing a contract to turn pro and forgo a college career at Vanderbilt. “It’s such a dream come true.”
The Yankees drafted Volpe, a shortstop from the Delbarton School in Morristown, NJ, with the 30th overall pick last Monday. A week later he was touring the stadium, walking through the clubhouse and meeting Yankees like Brett Gardner, and signing for $2.74 million, according to YES Network, slightly above the slot value of $2.365 million.
Volpe, whose favorite player was Derek Jeter when he grew up in Manhattan, will report to Tampa on Friday to officially begin his professional career.
“It was the hardest decision of my life, to pass up the college experience and being with [Vanderbilt] coach [Tim] Corbin and being part of a team that could win a national championship,” Volpe said. “But the opportunity to play for the New York Yankees, who I’ve dreamed about playing for my entire life, and to put everything, all my concentration, apply as much pressure as I possibly could to pursue my goal, that’s what set it over the edge for me.”
Boone called Volpe a “good-looking kid, athletic-looking kid.” He had talked to Volpe the night he was drafted — though Volpe said he missed the first three calls while swimming in his pool with friends — just one of the calls and texts that quickly caused his phone to die.
But Volpe is ready to get down to business, once the dream finally sinks in.
“I’d say I’m someone that would do everything humanly possible to help the team win on any given day,” Volpe said. “I’ll lay down a bunt, I’ll steal a base, whatever the team needs. They can count on me being that guy that would do my best to help the team.”