2019 Draft Prospect Preview: Anthony Volpe

Anthony Volpe

Delbarton (NJ) HS
Position: SS
B/T: R/R
Height/Weight: 5’ 11”, 180 lbs
Birth Date: 04/28/2001
College Commitment: Vanderbilt
Hit- 50(55) Power- 35(40) Run- 55 (60) Arm- 50(50) Field- 55(55) Overall- 50
A teammate of fellow Vanderbilt commit, Jack Leiter, Volpe has taken advantage of scouts being present to watch the right-handed pitcher to increase his draft stock dramatically. As a member of Team USA’s gold-medal winning 18-and-under team, Volpe showed off his calling card in spades. Volpe was arguably the highest-performing position player at USA Baseball’s National High School Invitational this spring as well, continuing his rather lengthy track record of success against top peer talent. The second-best defensive prepster in the draft, Volpe makes fielding shortstop look easy, despite the lack of standout arm or range. Volpe’s quick reflexes, routes, and high baseball IQ serve him well. Volpe surrounds the ball well and is able to make accurate throws to first from any position, including on the run and coming across the bag at second when turning double plays.

Volpe is a quick-twitch player, especially at the plate. While he has little power, some feel that he could grow into about average power if he were to bulk up some. Volpe possesses a quick swing which gets the bat into the hitting plane for good coverage. Some question if the quick-twitch and short swing might be abused at the next level, while others feel that Volpe’s ability to bring his hands in and defend the plate will lead to solid contact skills that allow him to use his above average speed (home-to-first of 4.15 sec.) in combination with spraying the ball between the gaps. To those scouts, Volpe profiles as a very sound all-around middle infielder. He’s going to run and defend very well, take quality at bats and hit for some average. The only real question is how the power will play.

Outlook: Volpe’s signability has pushed him down some boards, while others continue to push him up, based on his overall tools and his advanced profile. Any team looking to take him will have to buy in that his hit tool is for real and that his high baseball IQ will allow the team to help coach him up a bit more at the plate as he puts on some mass, almost all of which would be upper body, as he already possesses a solid lower core.

Modern Comp: Adalberto Mondesi

Ceiling: Kolten Wong (?)

Floor: Brendan Ryan

Takeaway: Volpe projects as one of the draft’s bigger signability issue players. His asking price has been rumored to be between $3 million and $4 million. There is also talk that he, like his teammate Leiter, may have a short list of teams he is willing to forego his Vanderbilt commit for, even if the money is present. Pursuing Volpe would be a matter of the Diamondbacks having done their due diligence to ensure that they are able to sign him with an overslot offering at #26, as it would be rather shocking if they took him at #16. Because of Volpe’s signability concerns and the Diamondbacks’ large bonus pool, the young shortstop will continue to be linked at least passingly to Arizona until after the 26th pick in the draft is made. Volpe does represent the most difficult sign the Diamondbacks might potentially be considering though.