New Yankees Shortstop Has SUNY Downstate Roots

By Office of the President | Apr 17, 2023

Downstate celebrates with new, New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe, who, at age 21, is the youngest Yankee since Derek Jeter to start on Opening Day.

Anthony is the son of College of Medicine alums Michael Volpe, M.D., and Isabelle De Leon, M.D. Early this year, the Yankees invited Anthony to spring training as a non-roster player, where he competed for the starting shortstop role. A few weeks ago, the Yankees announced that Volpe had earned a spot on the team’s Opening Day roster as the starting shortstop.

Avid Yankee fans, Anthony’s father, Dr. Volpe, is a urologist with practices in New York and New Jersey. His mother, Dr. De Leon, is an assistant professor of anesthesiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center. In addition to receiving his medical degree from Downstate, Dr. Volpe also completed residencies in Urology and General Surgery at Downstate, where he and Dr. De Leon met as students, both graduating in 1994.

Amid loud chants of his name at games, Anthony has also been called the Yankees’ “future,” the “Talk of the Town,” and fun, pop-up tee shirts read “Volpe-ning Day 2023.” He has made headlines in The New York Times and nearly every area newspaper and sports newscast. He recently made baseball history, becoming the fifth player since 1901 to steal a base in each of his first three major league games.

Will we see College of Medicine Yankee-themed surgical scrubs in the future? Let's join Drs. Volpe and De Leon in their pride and in cheering for Anthony!

Tags: College of Medicine, Alumni