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Yankees: 3 Anthony Volpe replacements, and why each is the wrong call

By Scott Rogust

TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 23: Anthony Volpe #77 of the New York Yankees looks on during Spring Training at George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 23, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 23: Anthony Volpe #77 of the New York Yankees looks on during Spring Training at George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 23, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) /
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Yankees, Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Isiah Kiner-Falefa #12 of the New York Yankees in action against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on June 10, 2023 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Yankees defeated the Red Sox 3-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Yankees: 3 Anthony Volpe replacements, and why each is the wrong call, No. 2: Isiah Kiner-Falefa

The Yankees tried Isiah Kiner-Falefa at shortstop last season, and it simply didn’t work. But, you’d have to imagine he would get starts at shortstop if they were to bench or demote Volpe.

New York passed on the chance to sign some top shortstops in free agency after the 2021 season, including Carlos Correa, Javier Baez, and Corey Seager. The Yankees still valued Volpe highly but didn’t think he was ready for the 2022 season. So, the Yankees acquired Kiner-Falefa and third baseman Josh Donaldson from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for infielder Gio Urshela and catcher Gary Sanchez. With that, the pressure for Kiner-Falefa to succeed only increased, considering the big names the team passed on to play shortstop.

Kiner-Falefa caught the ire of the fanbase due to his defensive ability, specifically his propensity to pick up errors (15 on the year). While Kiner-Falefa did receive an opportunity to win back the starting shortstop job in spring training, he realistically had an outside chance of doing so.

This year, Kiner-Falefa has become the super utility player for the team, and he has been thriving thus far. He doesn’t have the same pressure as he did last season and he’s playing well in the outfield (only one error playing all three outfield positions). The confidence is there as well, as evidenced by his stealing home plate on Wednesday night against the Mets.

In 54 games played, Kiner-Falefa is slashing .238/.277/.347 while recording three home runs, 15 RBI, 19 runs scored, and 35 hits.

The Kiner-Falefa experiment at shortstop didn’t work out. Kiner-Falefa as a utility player is working out well, so why change things?

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