PULASKI, Va. – At 18, most people are graduating high school, off to college, or the work force, but Anthony Volpe was met with the same decision on a different scale.
Continue his baseball career with a storied program at Vanderbilt, or take a chance at professional baseball.
"It was the toughest decision of my entire life," the second baseman said. "(It) just seemed like every night I wouldn't get any sleep, just thinking about it, staring at the ceiling."
"When I thought I had a grip on the situation, it would be a new day and I'd feel completely different about it," he laughed.
And then on June 3, Volpe was drafted in the first round by the Yankees, offering the most clarity he had had in months.
"The opportunity to play professional baseball for the New York Yankees, the team I grew up loving and rooting for, was like a dream come true," Volpe said.
He made his debut in the minors for the Pulaski Yankees three weeks ago, the youngest on the roster by almost a year.
"He's a smart kid, he's going to soak up everything we say and put it in play, the process just takes a little time," Pulaski Yankees Manager Luis Dorante said.
"I think it comes down to confidence and concentration," Volpe said. "You have to have confidence in what got you here, why you're here, all the work you put in to get to this point. They're (pitchers are) really good but your best will beat their best.
But even through all the changes, Volpe still has one thing that stays the same that reminds him to remain level.
"It's the dot on the 'i' on my bat, that's always going to be there, regardless of where I'm at, everything. It just resets me on that point," he said.