Anthony Volpe Will Have To Be Replaced

Fantastic article about the future of Anthony Volpe in pinstripes, or should I say the end of him in pinstripes.

If you haven’t figured it out, I am over Volpe.  He’s not a major leaguer and he was rushed up with the hope that the Yankee fans would welcome him with open arms in the hopes to mask the bigger problem… the Yankees need a real shortstop… someone that went through the proper ranks to eventually perform at the highest level to play in the major leagues. Not a kid from high school with no college experience all because his old man knew some people in the Yankee organization.  

This whole Volpe experiment has gone horribly wrong, and it really does go back to what Clint Frazier said yesterday on the Foul Territory podcast... ““I do feel like they hired a few too many rocket scientists to try to like make the lineup.”

That is all you need to know about how this all works in Yankeeland and why Anthony Volpe, or even worse, Austin Wells is in the lineup every day. It’s not the eye test. It’s analytics from college or high school with the idea that the player “can develop” or he could “become better” over time.  It’s all bullshit. Many times, you need gut and feel to make a hard choice on who should be out there every day.  Volpe should not be, and now an article written predicting soon (and I hope within the next year), Anthony Volpe will be sitting every day.  Why? Because George Lombard Jr. is just better, plain and simple.

Heavy.com writes:  “Volpe, who the Yankees were hoping would be one of the better players on their roster when he debuted, just hasn’t shown enough in Major League Baseball. He won a Gold Glove award in 2023, but even his defense has taken a hit at times.

Some believe the Yankees could eventually replace him with George Lombard Jr., while others believe the Yankees will look to add another shortstop in the draft, who could eventually come up and take Volpe’s spot, or move over to second if Lombard pans out. “

Let’s be honest: the Yankees’ front office wouldn’t recognize talent if it sat next to them on the 4 train wearing pinstripes and a name tag that said, “Hi, I’m a future All-Star.” Their personnel decisions lately feel like they’ve been made by flipping a dusty binder of 2017 analytics and closing their eyes. And while they’re busy patting themselves on the back for being ahead of the curve, the rest of baseball is lapping them.

Take Gleyber Torres. Remember him? The kid was accused of not figuring it out. Well, now he’s not just surviving in Detroit—he’s thriving. He’s the Motor City Monarch. King Gleyber of Comerica. Meanwhile, Yankees fans are stuck watching a lineup that too often looks like a group project gone horribly wrong.

Anthony Volpe. Look, the kid tries hard. He’s got a baby face and the hustle of someone who’s afraid to lose his job—which, frankly, he should be. But let’s call it what it is: Volpe looks like a little leaguer who accidentally wandered into Yankee Stadium. This isn’t about “growing pains” or “high upside.” It’s about performance. And if he can’t hit, can’t field consistently, and can’t carry the weight of being a shortstop in New York, then the Yankees need to stop pretending otherwise.

They could turn to a guy like George Lombard Jr., who at least looks the part of a smoother, more complete player. Or maybe, just maybe, they could explore the radical idea of signing an actual star shortstop in free agency. But that would mean admitting their golden child isn’t gold—it’s fool’s gold.

And of course, the Yankees don’t love to admit when they’re wrong. Their egos are practically on the payroll. But unless Volpe turns it around—and fast—he’s going to have to pack his bags and find a smaller ballpark to grow up in. Maybe Pittsburgh. Maybe Colorado. Somewhere with less pressure and fewer eyes watching every booted grounder.

Bottom line: Volpe isn’t a major leaguer, like, AT ALL. And the Yankees, with their stubborn loyalty and broken compass, are once again showing they don’t know how to build a roster. 

They let Gleyber go, they cling to Volpe, and they continue to live in the past. It’s 2025. Time to act like it. I thought we were going to put the best players on the field every day, Boone? You’re not!