Anthony Volpe becomes first Yankees rookie to win AL Gold Glove award
Late in the Yankees' lost season, manager Aaron Boone touted his rookie shortstop's candidacy for an AL Gold Glove award.
"I think he's got a real chance to win the Gold Glove,'' said Boone, with Volpe about to finish 2023 with the league's third-best defensive WAR rating according to Baseball-Reference.com.
On Sunday night, Volpe became the first rookie in Yankees' history to win a Gold Glove, according to Elias and MLB.com.
Volpe, 22, is also the youngest shortstop to capture a Gold Glove award and he's only the second Yankees shortstop to win the award, following Derek Jeter.
A Yankees first round draft pick out of Delbarton School in Morristown, N.J., Volpe made significant in-season defensive strides to become a finalist for the Gold Glove award, eventually besting fellow finalists Corey Seager of the Texas Rangers and Carlos Correa of the Minnesota Twins.
During the final weekend of a bitter season for the Yankees, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016, Volpe said he was "definitely ready to play another month,'' having led the club with 159 games played.
Along with his award-winning defense, Volpe's power and speed were on display during his rookie season, with an acknowledgement of needing to improve his batting average and cut down on strikeouts.
"Confident he'll continue to make those strides,'' Boone said late in the regular season. "He's got the aptitude and the smarts and work ethic to continue to grow (as) one of the cornerstone guys moving forward.''
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Anthony Volpe wins AL Gold Glove Award: First Yankees rookie to do it
