The New York Yankees spent a first round pick on Anthony Volpe in 2019 with every intention of making him their shortstop of the future. Every decision the franchise has made since has been with the idea that he could become a franchise cornerstone. It's time for GM Brian Cashman and his staff to start having second thoughts about Volpe's future status with the team.
Scores of Yankee fans are down on Volpe after his inexplicable errors in Monday night's loss to the Blue Jays. His blunders keyed Toronto's late-game rally. Perhaps more importantly, they ran Volpe's error total on the season to 10. That ugly total puts him in a tie for seventh place in MLB.
Proponents of the native New Yorker will correctly point out that his fielding gaffes usually don't have anything to do with a lack of physical talent. Instead, inconsistency and poor judgment are causing him the most issues. Simply holding onto the ball last night would have stopped him from committing errors and boosted his team's chances of holding on to a victory over a key AL East foe.
It's not as if Volpe just got his callup to the Bronx. He's been a regular starter for manager Aaron Boone for the better part of three seasons. Fans are understandably upset with a player who has appeared in over 400 major league games making such costly mental errors. It's a bit too soon to worry that Volpe is contracting an ugly case of the yips but Steve Sax fans are on notice.
It would be easier to overlook Volpe's fielding mistakes if he were lighting things up at the plate. His nine home runs on the year have been a nice surprise, but he's still struggling to make sufficient contact. That's why he is still middling along with a batting average of .229 and an OBP of just .310.
If he's not hitting, and he's not fielding, what's the use of Anthony Volpe?
Not getting on base at a healthy clip prevents Volpe from taking advantage of his best skill. His speed is something that should cause opposing teams fits. Instead, he's only swiped nine bags on the year, in large part, due to his lack of ability to even make it to first base.
In fairness to Volpe, he's still only 24-years-old. It's far too soon to shovel any dirt on his career with the Yankees. It's entirely possible that he'll find his footing in the field soon and make his recent struggles with the glove a distant memory by the time the postseason rolls around.
He's still providing New York value about replacement too. A WAR of 1.6 through the first half of the regular season it's the stuff that MVP dreams are made of, but it makes him a decent starter for the Yankees while he's still under cost control. There's no current impetus to cut bat on Volpe even if it's right for the front office to start making some contingency plans.
The most prominent in-house contingency to replace Volpe lies in the form of the organization's No. 1 overall propect. George Lombard could move to second base and provide excellent value there, but shortstop is his most natural position. He's not ready to make a move to the Bronx yet, but his compact right-handed stroke is drawing rave reviews as he progresses through New York's minor league system.
The good news for Volpe is that Lombard is probably another year or two away from being ready to challenge him for an every day spot in Boone's infield. That should give Volpe more than enough time to correct his current mistakes in the field.
It also gives Cashman and his front office sufficient time to evaluate just what sort of player Volpe is going to become before making a final decision between he and Lombard. When the 2025 regular season began it seemed that Volpe was going to enjoy an extended career in pinstripes.
Now, the idea that he might no be a long-term pillar of the franchise has to be considered. It's still in the Yankees' best interest for him to figure things out and become a long-term starter but they must acknowledge the possibility that he won't blossom into that sort of player. If he doesn't, then his time with the Yankees might not extend as long as anyone hoped.