Yankees prized shortstop prospect Anthony Volpe takes a swing at some spring training Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby. 

Q: What did you love so much about the way Derek Jeter played the game? 

A: He always ran out hard to first base, and whenever I’d go to the games I’d watch in between innings to see him make the throws across the diamond, and it just seemed like every little detail he was in tuned with, and obviously played well enough where he made some plays that showed off his instincts, but I just loved whenever I was able to go to the games watch the stuff that really the TVs didn’t really show. 

Q: You would watch him in the dugout? 

A: Sometimes in the dugout, but I loved watching him on deck and, like I said, in between innings making the long throw from short, doing stuff like that. … his approach at the plate, going to right field, staying inside the ball, stuff like that. 

Q: What is the most memorable Jeter play that you witnessed as a fan? 

A: I went to some games when I was little, but I didn’t get to go to any big games. I don’t remember at the Stadium, but as a fan, when I was like old enough to realize when he hit the walk-off in his last game at Yankee Stadium. That was like the perfect crescendo moment. It was honestly like fate the way it all happened. 

Q: Do you remember watching the Flip Play? 

A: We practice that play, and it’s just how heads-up it was. That’s kind of your job as a shortstop I’ve come to know, but yeah, just incredible. 

Q: How about his diving into the stands headfirst? 

A: I’ve wanted a ball like that my whole career (laugh). But I haven’t gotten one yet. 

Q: Why would you want to do that? 

A: I don’t know … ’cause he did it, maybe, but that’s one of the iconic plays. It’ll be awesome. 

Q: Throwing your body in harm’s way, you don’t care. 

A: Yeah, because the out, yeah. 

Q: Did you watch “The Captain” documentary? 

A: Yeah, I watched the first little bit of last season. I still gotta finish it. 

Q: What did you think of it? 

A: I thought it was awesome. Maybe even surprised of how good it was ’cause he opened up, and I know growing up and listening to the interviews, everyone said how much he didn’t open up. It was super cool, ’cause I learned most of those ’90s and early-career stories secondhand just ’cause (smile, chuckle) I wasn’t alive yet. 

Q: Describe your on-field mentality. 

A: I just want to win. I’m super competitive, and once the game starts all I care about, not myself or anything, I just want to win. 

Q: So you hate to lose more than you love to win? 

A: I think that shows even when I make little bets with my friends or on the golf course. 

Q: Are you a good golfer? 

A: Ah, no … aspiring (smile). 

Q: What drives you? 

A: I just love the game, it’s the most fun game, sport, everything that I’ve been a part of, and I just want to keep doing it and keep getting better at just ’cause it’s so much fun. 

Q: Do you feel any pressure? 

A: Maybe from myself, but I think that’s because I try to work really hard and hold myself to a high standard. But at the end of the day, it’s all about just playing and having fun and can’t take the game too seriously. 

Q: But you take it very seriously? 

A: Yeah, that’s the balance of having fun and also being probably super competitive and really wanting to win. I think that’s what makes it the greatest game. Everyone says game of failure, but I think, like I said, hating to lose makes you appreciate the wins a lot more. 

Q: What’s it like having Yankees fans so passionately in your corner rooting for you? 

A: (Laugh) Yeah, I guess I definitely appreciate it. I think me and the rest of the guys in the system, we definitely feel the love at the games and appreciate everyone turning out and showing up. I think it makes a difference if you look at kind of how our minor league affiliates have fared the last couple of years. 

Q: What is the biggest adversity you had to overcome? 

A: I think COVID. In the grand scheme of life in the world at that time, I didn’t have it bad at all. I just wanted to play, and it was gonna be my first full season in the system, and then having that completely wiped out was super-tough mentally, but I think looking back now, I’m definitely grateful that I had the time to work on the things I worked on. 

Q: Do you think you need more seasoning in Triple-A? 

A: I don’t know, it’s not really up to me. I just want to play every day and improve every day regardless of where that is. I want to be a major leaguer and play for the Yankees, but at the end of the day, when that happens isn’t necessarily a goal as opposed to being the best player I can be and help the team win a World Series. Anything other than that doesn’t really affect me just ’cause I can’t control it. … I’m 21 years old, I don’t think there’s any 21-year-old, 22-year-old, 23-year-old — any age — that has reached their peak and potential. I’m working on everything, and I don’t think that there’s one area that I can really rest my laurels. There’s a lot more I want to do and accomplish, and to get to that, I gotta put in a lot more work. 

Q: Do you feel you belong? 

A: It feels good to feel like I’m in the mix, and the guys are super-welcoming. It’s nice that I’m here with a bunch of other guys that I’ve played with, and we’re kind of all mixed in with guys we obviously grew up watching. They definitely make you feel like you belong. 

Q: Describe your affection for wearing No. 7. 

A: Well, my grandfather, his favorite player is Mickey Mantle. When I was little, ready to pick a number, I figured that’d be the best one to choose (smile). 

Q: So now you’ve got double 7, 77. 

A: Yeah. I just showed up and I walked in, that was what was waiting for me. It’s pretty cool. 

Q: Did you ever watch clips of Mickey? 

A: Yeah, definitely. I think watching all those older players, just how they didn’t have any of the stuff we had but how natural and how good their swings were. It’s pretty cool to watch. 

Q: Who else have you watched of the old-timers? 

A: Mainly just swing and hitting videos. … There’s a Babe Ruth drill that the coaches recommend for certain guys and stuff like that. I think just taking little things from hitters that are super successful over the course of baseball history is awesome. 

Q: Give me some names. Tony Gwynn, maybe? 

A: Definitely. Yeah I have a whole photo album of swings — Pete Rose, Tony Gwynn like you said, and then the Yankee greats. 

Q: Roger Maris? 

A: I don’t know if I have any of his swings saved, but I have a big catalog and folder, so … 

Q: Do you have it with you? 

A: It’s on my phone. Me and my hitting coach share it. Whenever we see a good video, we add it in there. 

Q: How many would you say you have on your phone? 

A: (Takes out iPhone and scrolls down to show his catalog). Well, it’s just a shared album, but it’s all of these. It ranges from Barry Bonds and Vladdy Guerrero, Pete Rose … And we put little notes at the bottom to just remind myself with keys and stuff like that. It’s mainly for the offseason, but it’s always fun to look at. I watch every swing back on video in the offseason. I like doing that just so in the season I don’t have to think or really worry too much about the swing. 

Q: What about Ted Williams? 

A: Yeah, I mean he’s all over there. He’s up there for probably the most, yeah. 

Q: Who else is up there? 

A: I have to look through it. Obviously the videos are a lot better now and the camera angles and stuff like that. But just different type of stuff like that. 

Q: How often do you speak to your parents? 

A: Every day. 

Q: What do they tell you? 

A I like when it’s not about baseball, but they obviously are following, and it’s killing them not to be here and watch me play. We go over maybe a little bit of baseball, but then it’s also a lot about just non-baseball, which I appreciate and I like, and ask them how they’re doing and how Jedi our dog’s doing, stuff like that (smile). 

Q: What kind of dog? 

A: Mini Goldendoodle (laugh). 

Q: Did you name it? 

A: Yeah, I named it. 

Q: Describe your mom, Isabelle. 

A: She’s amazing. She’s probably one of my best friends, my rock, my role model, same with my dad. She’s there for anything, the ups, the downs. She’s probably the hardest-working, most selfless person I’ve ever been around. That’s what I love about her, and that’s just who she is. Doesn’t change whether it’s me or one of her patients or a person she just meets walking down the street. She’s the best. 

Q: What does she do? 

A: She’s an anesthesiologist. 

Q: And your dad, Michael? 

A: Pretty much the same thing. He probably is my best friend. We’ve been through it all together, between him being my first and really only coach until I got drafted and started that. He’d work the entire day and then get home and I’d be waiting to go to the field. I mean, must have been tired, but he never showed it. And those are the memories that I take back when I think about baseball and why I love the game so much. It’s always been with him. They’re both the best. 

Q: Did you have catches with him in the backyard? 

A: I grew up in the city, he worked in Jersey so he did the reverse commute, so there must have been horrible days with traffic, and I’m sure were frustrating. … I never really played organized in the city, there’s no real Little League or anything like that, and he’d take me to the park, and it’d just be me and him to start playing and then within half an hour, there’d be a full 9-on-9 game, just neighborhood kids. He’d be the pitcher and he’d pitch to all the kids in the neighborhood, and then take everyone out to the convenience store after and get ’em Gatorades and snacks and everything like that … so, yeah, he’s the best. 

Q: If you could face one pitcher in MLB history, who would it be? 

A: Mr. Al Leiter (laugh). 

Q: He’s your buddy, right? 

A: Yeah. I went all throughout high school and everything with [Leiter’s son] Jack. He would throw to us and everything and talk smack, stuff like that. 

Q: You gotta give me another one. 

A: Who would you face? 

Q: Nolan Ryan maybe? I don’t know. I don’t know if you’d remember Bob Gibson … Sandy Koufax. 

A: Sandy Koufax. Two lefties (laugh). 

Q: You want to face a lefty? 

A: Mr. Leiter and him (laugh). 

Q: If you could pick the brain of any shortstop or infielder in MLB history … other than Jeter. 

A: (Long pause) 

Q: I’ll let you say Jeter if you want. 

A: Give me Jeter (laugh). 

Q: Do you dream of having a moment like Aaron Boone had in the playoffs, his 2003 Game 7 ALCS walk-off home run versus the Red Sox? 

A: I don’t know if I have dreamed it, but I think having those moments and being up in the big spots my whole life. I don’t think the spot matters. I feel like I’m high school, a two-out situation, or in the minor leagues, or one of those. It’s hard to really extrapolate and kind of take yourself out of the moment and maybe tell yourself that there could be bigger moments to be had, because when you’re in it, it feels like life-or-death almost. Every night I want to be the player that’s up in those moments and come through. That’s probably one of the best parts of the game, and looking back, some of my fondest memories have been in those moments, kinda when the game’s on the line. 

Q: Three dinner guests? 

A: George Washington, Tiger Woods, Babe Ruth. 

Q: Favorite movie? 

A: “Miracle.” 

Q: Favorite actor? 

A: Matthew McConaughey. 

Q: Favorite actress? 

A: Margot Robbie. 

Q: Favorite singer/rapper/entertainer? 

A: Zach Bryan, country singer. 

Q: Favorite meal? 

A: Pizza. 

Q: Where’s the best New York pizza? 

A: My favorite, it’s in kind of like Westchester, it’s called Johnny’s. I think it’s in Mount Vernon. 

Q: Sicilian or regular? 

A: Regular. But crunchy and … perfect. 

Q: What moments have you dreamed of as a young boy in a Yankees uniform? 

A: I mean if you looked at my second, third grade yearbook or whatever when it said, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It was, “New York Yankees player, shortstop for the Yankees.” … I’m sure the dreams were crazy back then, but now it’s kind of turned from dreams to goals. … Just focus on those. 

Q: How would you sum up what it is like being a New York Yankee? 

A: For me, I obviously don’t know what it’s like to be with the big club and the big team, but I think I have kind of a unique perspective being such a big fan and following the organization from the outside, and then once getting drafted and getting kind of brought up through the system, you know the Yankees as the Yankees as a fan, and that they’re a first-class organization and they don’t take any shortcuts. But I guess you never really know until you’re in it, and I can speak personally in that they spare no expense, and the amount of support staff that’s there for you, the amount of pitching machines that we have at every single affiliate that other teams are lucky to have one. I mean it’s just stuff like that that really shows that the Yankees really are the Yankees, and I’m lucky enough to say that I can say that firsthand. 

Q: What is your message to Yankees fans? 

A: I just want to win. I just want to be the player that competes every night and gives his best. But at the end of the day, I just want to win.