This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
TAMPA, Fla. -- Most travelers choose vacations that provide escape. Anthony Volpe took a trip this past offseason that promised something deeper.
Wading through waist-deep water to board a small boat off the Philippine coast, the Yankees shortstop looked out at dense jungle and towering limestone cliffs that made him think of the movie “Avatar.” It felt a world away from the Bronx -- and, in another sense, like coming home.
Volpe spent part of his offseason visiting the Philippines, where his mother, Isabelle, was born. The journey not only provided fresh experiences, but an opportunity to connect with roots he had long heard about.
“I just expected a crazy family vacation, like all over the place, ‘Home Alone’ style,” Volpe said. “Rushing around, doing stuff like that. But instead, I took in the culture. What’s so cool about the Filipino culture is, growing up, you feel it -- the values, how tight you are with your family and how much that means.
“You see where that came from. I think you really feel that right away as soon as you go there, how much the people love and care for each other.”
Volpe’s mother was born in Manila and emigrated with her family to the United States as a child. Traveling with about 20 to 25 relatives, Volpe said the group had the opportunity to walk along the street she lived on and to see the school she had attended.
“It was really surreal, seeing that, then meeting some family over there,” he said. “When you go somewhere and you see people that don’t have a lot of material things, you realize what’s important is the connections. You’re grateful being able to see it, knowing how that affected your childhood and your connection with your family.
“It taught me a lot about my grandmother and my grandfather -- my mom was one of seven [children]. I was able to see the sacrifices and the love they carried over when they came to America. My grandparents did it to have a great opportunity in a great country for them and all of their kids.”
Volpe, who is continuing to rehab from left shoulder surgery performed in October, packed his glove for the trip.
In December, Volpe and his family hosted a free baseball camp for about 200 Filipino children at Felino Marcelino Sr. Baseball Stadium in Taguig, sharing skills and instruction.
He also visited Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in Manila, a historic venue where Babe Ruth once played during a 1934 exhibition tour.
“They love baseball over there, which is pretty cool,” Volpe said. “I was pleasantly surprised with the turnout and how skilled the kids were. You could tell they’re well-coached. It’s pretty cool to see how the game is that big and that it reaches that far.”
Having grown up in a household where foods like adobo, pancit and lumpia were always on the menu, Volpe said he wasn’t shy about trying new dishes. He especially enjoyed the iconic Filipino breakfast of beef, rice and egg known as tapsilog.
“It was incredible,” Volpe said. “I grew up eating that kind of food, but I was also spoiled. My mom and my aunt [Tita Jazz], she’s like the best cook of all time. Our running joke was that no one had a dish better than what she makes. But it was really good.”
Volpe nodded enthusiastically when asked if he could see himself visiting the Philippines again, which prompted another question: when?
“I don’t know,” he said, with a laugh. “This one took 24 years in the making. So we’ll see. But I loved it. We had so much fun. It was really cool.”