Boone's Obsession Is Hurting The Yankees

This isn’t development. This is delusion. This is a full-blown fantasy that Boone and the Yankees front office are too stubborn—or too stupid—to wake up from. They told us this kid was Derek Jeter. Jeter?! He’s not even Tony Womack in a good year. Womack’s like “Why y’all picking on me?” At this point, I’d take a 1995 Pat Kelly over whatever the hell Volpe has become.

But here’s the kicker: I actually feel for Volpe. Just a little. Because this failure isn’t entirely on him. The kid didn’t ask to be the face of the franchise. He didn’t run his own hype train. The Yankees did that. Boone did that. They tossed him to the wolves in the Bronx spotlight and said, “Good luck, kid!” with no cushion, no development plan, and no Plan B if he fell flat.

Guess what? He fell flat.

And now WFAN’s Sal Licata—finally—is saying what I’ve been yelling from the rooftops:

“Volpe has been a bust… I don’t know why everyone is afraid to say it.”

He’s damn right and I’m not afraid. Why has everyone been so afraid to say it? Why has it taken this long for the media to hold the Yankees accountable for ruining this kid’s trajectory before it even had a chance to stabilize?

This is the Yankees’ way lately. Overpromise. Undeliver. Stick with their guy until the house burns down. Boone’s sitting Cody Bellinger and other proven veterans, but Anthony Volpe? Front of the line. Every single day. And we’re supposed to be okay with that?

That’s why I call Volpe Boone’s Boy Toy. He’s obsessed. This is him 10 months ago.  Is he watching the same player we’re seeing or is he watching with the idea that he hopes it will finally click… cause it’s  not.

 

He needs Volpe to be good, he WANTS Volpe to be good, because otherwise the Yankees front office has to admit they blew it. And let’s be honest—Boone doesn’t have the spine to call out a bad decision. He’s a mouthpiece. A walking PR statement. He manages with vibes and hopes, not facts and results.

You want facts?
Volpe has been below average at the plate for most of his major league career.
His OPS is a joke.
His strikeouts are through the roof.
And when the pressure’s on, he folds like a beach chair.

He stands in the box with this “let’s go!” energy like he’s about to do damage, but the expression on his face is pure confusion. He looks like someone who wandered onto the field by accident. There’s no edge. No fire. Just wide-eyed panic.

And this idea that he’s “trying hard”? Cool. Try hard in Scranton. Try hard in Miami. This is the Yankees. This is the Bronx. “Trying” is the bare minimum. Succeed or get out of the way.

If the Yankees had any sense of urgency—or dignity—they’d be shopping Volpe for pitching at the deadline. Send him to the Marlins or the Rockies or somewhere else that doesn’t eat you alive for batting .241. Because let’s be honest: the only thing he’s leading the league in is excuses.

 
The bottom line is this: Volpe was set up to fail, and he’s doing exactly that. And instead of adjusting, Boone and the Yankees keep running the same broken play over and over again, praying it turns into magic. But this isn’t a fairytale. This is a team trying to win a World Series. Or at least, pretending to.

So, here’s what I’m saying: Stop the madness. Stop the charade. Admit Volpe’s not the guy. Admit Boone is in way over his head. And for once, just once, make a decision based on results instead of loyalty and bullshit optimism.

Enough already.