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Yankees reveal Anthony Volpe's new jersey number ahead of Opening Day MLB debut

Adam Weinrib
Adam Weinrib

Yanks Go Yard

New York Yankees Photo Day / New York Yankees/GettyImages

Once the New York Yankees got the pesky formalities out of the way and named 21-year-old Anthony Volpe their Opening Day starter at shortstop, they had all sorts of additional logistical questions to answer.

What would happen to Oswald Peraza? (Answer: A Triple-A demotion)

Would Isiah Kiner-Falefa still make the team, or be shipped out? (Answer: Certainly seems like it.)

And would Volpe really be rocking the No. 77 he wore during Spring Training, or would he receive a lower number befitting his pedigree?

This was a tough call. 77, formerly belonging to Jackson Frazier, was actually special to Volpe, who comes from a long line of Yankee fans. His grandfather's favorite player was Mickey Mantle, making the double sevens a bizarre sight at first, but a meaningful one.

According to Jack Curry, Volpe pivoted at the last minute, and instead will wear No. 11 to start his MLB career. When you start a Yankee with a number that low, with so few available (and zero single-digits on the table), it typically means the intention is they're here to stay.

Yankees Anthony Volpe's Jersey Number: Brett Gardner's No. 11

Let Anthony bang!

Yes, those No. 11 Brett Gardner jerseys could come in handy, and while the veteran was sort of silently "retired" last offseason, it seems the end to his Yankee career is now official.

And with that end comes the blossoming of something that could be really special.

Volpe, a five-tool talent, will be the youngest player to start on Opening Day for the Yankees since his idol Derek Jeter in 1996. He'll also be the fifth-youngest Yankee ever to make his MLB debut; Mantle remains the youngest, at just 19 years old.

Hopefully, Volpe's quicker-than-expected promotion signals the beginning of some sort of youth movement in the Bronx, where Brian Cashman and Co. are willing to play their most talented roster after tossing service time concerns out the window. It seems Aaron Judge may have played a role here in influencing the front office with his repeated comments in that direction.

No. 99 will be excited to see Volpe on Opening Day and in the Roll Call -- but no word yet on whether he'll be jealous of his low number.

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib is a Content Director on the FanSided network, and has been the co-editor at Yanks Go Yard for 6 years. He also co-hosts The Baseball Insiders Podcast thrice weekly, alongside FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray, as well as the Yanks Go Yard Podcast. Previously, he was a Senior Editor at 12up.com, and has been covering MLB and NFL for 10 years. He was also a headline and features contributor at ClickHole and Onion Sports, as well as the Associate Producer of the ESPN 30 for 30 film "Believeland". An avowed fan of the New York sports teams -- specifically the Yankees -- as well as the North Carolina Tar Heels, you can find Adam complaining mid-game on Twitter, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn if the game goes really poorly.