Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe traveled to the Philippines during the offseason, he said on Mar. 13, seeking a deeper connection with his family’s roots. The trip allowed him to explore the country where his mother, Isabelle, was born and experience Filipino culture firsthand.
Volpe’s visit highlights the importance of family heritage and cultural identity for many athletes. He described wading through water off the Philippine coast and being struck by the landscape, which reminded him of scenes from the movie “Avatar.” For Volpe, it was both an adventure and a homecoming.
“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.”
During his stay, Volpe visited Manila with about 20 to 25 relatives. They walked along his mother’s childhood street and saw her former school. “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.”
While continuing rehab from left shoulder surgery performed in October, Volpe also hosted a free baseball camp for about 200 children at Felino Marcelino Sr. Baseball Stadium in Taguig. He visited Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in Manila as well.
“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.”
Volpe enjoyed traditional Filipino foods during his trip such as adobo and tapsilog—a breakfast dish of beef, rice and egg—and praised his aunt’s cooking back home: “My mom and my aunt [Tita Jazz], she’s like the best cook of all time… But it was really good.”
Asked if he would return again soon after waiting so long for this first visit as an adult, Volpe replied: “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.”
