s the New York Yankees swooned in June, as well as July — plunging from seven games ahead in the American League East on May 28 to two games out and losers of 18 out of their last 29 games at the All-Star Break — no player appeared more emblematic of the troubles in the Bronx than 24-year-old, third-year shortstop Anthony Volpe.
As the Yankees’ top prospect in 2022 and 2023, the organization’s 2019 first-round draft pick drew comparisons to Hall of Fame shortstop and Yankees legend Derek Jeter.
His career got off to a promising start in 2023, when he won a Gold Glove, plated 21 home runs and finished eighth in Rookie of the Year voting. But those days are well in the past now.
Volpe’s 11 errors are most among AL shortstops and third-most of any player in MLB. In his last 48 at-bats before the break, he recorded just six hits and only two extra base hits.
His last 22 games have seen him post a .503 OPS, and his overall OPS+ in the season is 86, meaning that he has produced at a 14 percent lower rate than the average MLB hitter.
And yet, manager Aaron Boone not only continues to insert Volpe into the lineup almost every game, but when asked about Volpe during the Yankees’ recent series against the New York Mets by YES Network reporter Meredith Marakovits, Boone reportedly responded, “He’s (expletive) elite.”
“I want to tell you how protective Aaron Boone is of Volpe,” Yankees play-by-play broadcaster Michael Kay recounted. “Subway Series, Boone’s in the interview room. Meredith Marakovits asked a very legitimate question about a ball that Pete Alonso hit to the backhand side of Volpe. She said, ‘Do you think he should have stopped that?’ And then you can see Boone was getting exasperated, and said, ‘That’s a 50-50, play. That’s a hard-hit ball.'”
More MLB: Yankees’ Anthony Volpe Enters ‘Death Spiral’ as Offense Collapses
The “elite” comment followed that exchange, according to Kay.
“When Michael Kay revealed this, I fell off my chair. Boone actually thinks that this kid is good,” wrote Bleeding Yankee Blue founder Robert Casey on Thursday. “I mean, he’s not, but for some odd, and strange reason, Boone defends this kid like he’s the next Derek Jeter. It’s not only misguided, it’s crazy and delusional.”
Casey also said that he believes Boone is a “brainwashed cheerleader” for Volpe, and added, that Kay “pointed out the facts and still managed to expose Boone for being obsessed. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again; I think Boone’s relationship with Volpe is downright weird.”
Boone has occasionally appeared to acknowledge Volpe’s struggles. In a July 4 game, he sent up a ninth-inning pinch hitter for Volpe to lead off the inning.
