The New York Yankees are running out of excuses and defenses for Anthony Volpe’s poor performances.
After Friday night’s struggles, Volpe was on thin ice for Yankees fans, and Chris Kirschner of The Athletic has seen enough and believes the organization needs to admit failure.
“The Yankees have been consistent in their support of Volpe, treating him as if he can do no wrong,” wrote Kirschner. “Their unwavering backing of him is undeserved. Volpe has been one of the sport’s least valuable players this season.
“He has the third-worst wRC+ among all qualified shortstops. He’s been the ninth-worst base runner among all shortstops by FanGraphs’ base running runs above average metric. And he’s been the third-worst defender at shortstop in outs above average. His .276 on-base percentage is the third-worst among all qualified hitters in MLB. And yet, the Yankees treat Volpe as if he’s untouchable and above recourse.”
Volpe has had high expectations since he joined the organization, and he’s struggled to live up to them. The Bronx Bombers know Volpe has to turn it around sooner rather than later.
“For a few weeks there, he really had it rolling,” Boone told Kirschner on Thursday. “Now, a week where he hasn’t had much going. We got to find that, because I certainly see it on both sides when he’s going well. It’s like, man, he’s starting on time. He’s in sync. He’s recognizing pitches well, and then he falls off a little bit.
“The biggest challenge for us and for Volpe right now is trying to get him to that next level where there’s always going to be ebbs and flows offensively. That’s the nature of the beast, but trying to tighten those up a little bit. That’s what we continue to work at.”
If the Yankees want to make the playoffs, Volpe is going to have to step up his game significantly. Once the season ends, the team will have to decide if it wants to give him another shot or try to find his replacement.
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