“Come on, man. This guy is a player,” Boone said. “He’s the best shortstop in the league and he’s hitting like a league-average or below-league-average hitter. Add it all up, he’s a winning player. Stop it.
“What if he goes out and has two good offensive weeks and is a .720 OPS and the best defender in the league? You got yourself a pretty damn good player right there.”
“He’s gonna get there. It’s not linear. It’s not just shoot to the moon,” Boone said. “There’s definitely a case in there where I could have given him a day here and there. Absolutely. But to just not have him in the lineup, next question.
New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (11) reacts after striking out against the Chicago White Sox during the seventh inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
“Seriously, when you run the team, you can make that call.”
Volpe is one of several hitters in the Yankees’ lineup that have struggled of late outside of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto , who are the two best hitters in baseball according to FanGraphs’ wRC+.
Overall, his numbers are looking similar to his rookie season in 2023, improving his OPS from .666 to just .680 heading into Tuesday’s play.
“We haven’t talked about it,” Brian Cashman said by phone. “I feel like, by far, we believe in him and, yes, his development continues at the major league level. There are growing pains, obviously, when you pull the ripcord on somebody’s opportunity early, which he did earn (a starting job in spring 2023), but he’s still finding his way. But also he’s by far our best player at that position (shortstop) and you could argue he’s our best player by far in our infield. So, no, there’s never been a consideration to sending him down. He’s working through everything in a thoughtful way. He’s working his tail off.
“And again, our opinion of him and his ability to eventually reach his ceilings are still intact.”
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone returns to the dugout after making a pitching change during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, in Chicago. AP
But as Boone mentioned on the podcast, Volpe has been excellent with the glove at the most important position on the diamond — Statcast has him with 12 Outs Above Average, which is the fourth-most in baseball among shortstops.
He’s also been the 10th-most valuable shortstop in baseball at 3.1 WAR, according to FanGraphs.
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