Around the Empire: Yankees news - 2/9/22

NY Post | Joel Sherman: Former Yankees outfielder Gerald Williams passed away on Tuesday at the age of 55 after a battle with cancer. Buck Showalter was Williams’ first pro manager in 1987 and skippered him again during his first few seasons. Showalter says Williams was influential for him in learning how to be a manager in the minors. “Gerald willed himself to become a good player,” Showalter said. “He could really do some things. He was the perfect fourth outfielder. He could run, throw, defend, really hit lefty pitching and if you needed him to start for a while he could do that. He was a key guy for us as we got better there in the ’90s.”

NJ.com | Randy Miller: Anthony Volpe was drafted 30th overall in 2019, and now is potentially being looked at as — you guessed it — the “next Derek Jeter.”

“Yeah, I can definitely see he’s being compared to Jeter now,” Yankees prospect Ken Waldichuk said after seeing his impact on the minors. “You could definitely tell he was different.”

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty, Randy Miller and John Klapisch: Speaking of Jeter, Gleyber Torres was once hailed as the next great shortstop for the Yankees. Now, after a tough two seasons in a row, there is a lot of doubt as to what he’ll become. There’s also uncertainty about first base, catcher, pitching, and Aaron Judge’s contract extension. Yankees beat reporters Brendan Kuty, Randy Miller, and baseball columnist Bob Klapisch discuss all the questions that surround New York this year.