Why Anthony Volpe’s promotion carries a special level of meaning for Yankees’ amateur scouting department

When the Yankees named Anthony Volpe winner of their spring training shortstop competition on Sunday, waves of excitement coursed through a fan base eager to see Volpe’s electric talent -- not to mention through a veteran clubhouse impressed by the rookie, and through Volpe himself.

The day also carried a special if heavy meaning for one group in particular: the Yankees’ amateur scouting department, who feel a strong connection between Volpe and their beloved colleague Kelly Rodman, a Northeast area scout who died of cancer in 2020 at age 44.

“The significance of this is really important,” says fellow area scout Matt Hyde, who worked closely with Rodman on scouting, drafting and getting to know the New Jersey-bred Volpe. “And in talking to Anthony yesterday, he said that it was on his mind as well. She played such a huge role in the scouting of him and the relationship with not only Anthony, but also his family. It was such a big deal.

“With him getting that call to the big leagues, a lot of us thought, ‘What a wonderful team effort,’ and how Kel was definitely looking down and smiling.”

Rodman was a former softball and baseball player who in 2014 became the first woman to scout for the Yankees -- though her boss, vice president of domestic amateur scouting Damon Oppenheimer, said that she was loath to be seen that way.

“Kelly did not want to be considered a ‘good woman scout,”’ Oppenheimer says. “She wanted to be considered a great scout in general. I think that was one of the biggest things about her. It actually upset her when people talked about her in terms of gender. It was, ‘I’ve got a job to do, and I want to be the best at it.’’’

As the Yankees were evaluating Volpe as a potential first-round draft pick in 2019, it was Rodman, along with Hyde and a few others, who frequently watched him play, both in high school and at the Area Code games, a showcase for top prospects. The team trusted her evaluative skills between the lines, and also valued the sharp standards she placed on a player’s personality.

“She had a high standard of the players she thought would be Yankees,” Hyde says. “Not everybody in her book was a Yankee. To be a Yankee you had to not only have talent and ability but you had to have makeup. She was really big on that. There were players who she thought were Yankees and players who she thought weren’t Yankees.”

By the time the draft drew closer, Rodman deemed the earnest, engaging Volpe and his family ideal fits for the organization. Still, there were more physical hurdles to clear.

“The spring of his senior year, we sent her down a couple of times to watch him,” Hyde says. “One time she had to go and get him a vision test before the draft. It’s one of those details that often gets overlooked, but that was a big part of our whole assessment of him. Kelly was so reliable that having her undertake that assignment was really important.”

That year Oppenheimer selected Rodman as the scout who would attend the draft at the MLB Network studios in Secaucus, along with Nick Swisher.

“She just earned it,” Oppenheimer says. “We try to reward people with that opportunity to be at the draft. It’s by merit and how they do their job.”

By then, Rodman already knew she had cancer. But June 10, 2019 brought a dire update: On that day, doctors told Rodman that her diagnosis was terminal.

That very same afternoon, the Yankees signed Volpe. Rodman, Hyde and Oppenheimer stood on the field with Volpe, smiling for photos to commemorate the day.

“Walking through the halls in the suite level that day, where there are all these great photos, she said, ‘I understand today what Lou Gehrig meant when he gave that great speech,’” Hyde recalls. “It was really incredible. She had been given the bad news, but she believed that she had an awful lot to live for.”

Moments of empathy and connection defined Rodman’s relationship to the job. In that way, Hyde sees a link to Volpe’s character.

“She really built relationships with families, players, coaches,” Hyde says. “Even these crusty, grizzled coaches that for me were hard to break through with sometimes -- they would give her tons of information. She showed up early. She stayed late. She would always try to connect with people. She wouldn't just go to the game and pop in and pop out. She made sure to talk to people.

“For Anthony to be up in the big leagues now, it's really special, because Anthony is that way, too. They are kindred spirits.”

Volpe demonstrated that side one day when he was playing for High-A Hudson Valley in 2021. Before a game, Hyde called to say that he would be attending, but could not stay for long afterward because his son’s first day of kindergarten was the next morning.

“He hit a big double late in the game,” Hyde says. “I’m with his parents on the concourse. He looks up and motions for me to come down to the dugout. He brings out a bat and says, ‘Hey give this to your son for his first day of kindergarten tomorrow.’ Kelly was exactly the same way. She would remember things about people.”

Because of these strong parallels -- not to mention Rodman’s centrality to the Yankees selection of Volpe -- the team’s scouts followed Volpe’s ascent through the minor leagues with a sense of connection to her. The decision on Sunday to promote Volpe sent a jolt of extra feeling through the department.

“There were a lot of emotions,” Oppenheimer says. “We posted the picture of her and myself and Anthony and Hyde on the [internal website] we have for all the scouts. And it was met with a lot of, ‘that makes it even better,’ and ‘he’s going to have an angel in the outfield with him.’ That kind of thing. The whole thing was emotional, and that made it even more emotional.”

Now Volpe’s Bronx debut will present another powerful opportunity to remember a colleague, which Hyde will do by donning a piece of jewelry he set aside upon Rodman’s death.

“When she was going through the last stages of cancer, I went in to visit her, and I gave her my World Series ring from 2009,” Hyde says. “I said, ‘you deserve to wear this way more than I do.’ And then she wore it. She had her partner, Jen Mead, a little nervous that it would get lost. She ended up giving it back to me, but I haven’t worn it since Kelly passed away. But I will wear it at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day on Thursday.”

Because will Volpe be there?

“Yes," Hyde says.