Anthony Volpe leaned on pair of veterans for his first big Yankees decision
Anthony Volpe has the No. 11 thanks, in part, to the efforts of Anthony Rizzo and Aaron Judge.
It was the Yankee slugger and former first baseman who thought the number suited the young infielder when he first made the roster out of spring training in 2023, he revealed in the first episode of the new season of 'The Story of My Number,' set to air on May 14 on YES Network within The Gotham Sports App.
'When I got called up out of spring training, my head was all over the place, the last thing I was thinking of was what number I was going to be,' Volpe says in the episode, which The Post got a sneak peek of. 'Riz and Judgey pulled me over and they were like, 'Where's your head at? What are you thinking?''
3 Anthony Volpe of the New York Yankees bats against the Milwaukee Brewers on Opening Day.
Getty Images
Volpe, still trying to collect his bearings, wasn't sure how the process worked to select a number or even what was still available.
That's when Judge and Rizzo expressed to the then-rookie that the No. 11 would be a good choice for him.
3 Aaron Judge reacts on the dugout fence alongside Anthony Rizzo and Anthony Volpe.
Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
The number had been used by Brett Gardner during his 14-year MLB career — all with the Yankees — and Rizzo had felt that the right thing to do was to make sure the outfielder was alright with it.
'I think the most important thing was I got to call Brett Gardner up on the phone and just ask him really for his blessing and then thank him,' Volpe says. 'Which is what I wanted to do cause I was a young player just making my way into the big leagues and I had the benefit of amazing veterans that took me under their wing. Showed me the ropes and really was just there for me.
'I wanted to thank him for treating Judgey and all the guys that treated me so well, he was the one that treated them well and taught them how to treat the young players.'
3 Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) and Anthony Volpe (11) celebrate after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays.
Dave Nelson-Imagn Images
'The Story of My Number' returns for a second season, hosted by Gracie Cashman, the daughter of Yankees general manager Brian Cashman.
Other episodes will include interviews with Dwight Gooden, Paul O'Neill, Vince Carter, David Cone and Dellin Betances.
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