Blame for Anthony Volpe’s Situation Should Be Redirected to Yankees Front Office

All the blame for Anthony Volpe should be placed on the front office and less on the player.

Perhaps Yankees fans have been too harsh on Anthony Volpe and should redirect their anger to the front office. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

If one were to craft the perfect player that embodies what it means to play for the Yankees, they could look a lot like Anthony Volpe.

There's the clean-cut face. There's the fact that Volpe never gets too high or too low, despite the adversity he faces. There's the mental toughness of playing through an injury all year. Volpe also answers every question perfectly, and he has the same inflection that Derek Jeter gave in his interviews.

Unfortunately, as far as the Jeter comparison goes, that's about it. Despite being the best shortstop prospect in baseball a few years ago—something the former Yankee captain could boast as well by the time he was called up—Volpe has not lived up to this billing.

Anthony Volpe hasn't lived up to the Yankees' offensive or defensive expectations this season. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Now, heading into Volpe's fourth season in the big leagues, he has an 84 wRC+ in 1,889 plate appearances. His return to the Yankees looked a lot like some of his worst stretches from last year. Volpe whiffed in a big spot, and then there was the gaffe on the routine play.

You could feel the frustration from fans on social media, and the only thing that could have made that team's thrashing against the Orioles worse would have been if it were at home. Those boo birds certainly would have come out.

Any critique of Volpe is justified at this point. Volpe, whose family is made up of lifelong Yankee fans, likely also complained about players who struggled in pinstripes. They surely had no love for Carl Pavano, as most fans did.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Carl Pavano (45) pitches in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

At the same time, fans might want to start pointing the finger in the New York front office's direction.

Yankees front office deserves blame for Anthony Volpe's poor start

Even still, the hate toward Volpe should be less directed at him and more at the front office. Just as it was with Pavano, the beleaguered pitcher was doing his job. He probably wanted to be healthier and actually contribute, rather than end up in a position where he would be booed.

Pavano has his own issues these days, and Volpe is probably a better person than the former failed free agent, but the sentiment that he probably would like to perform better remains. Who but a former fan of a team understands better than anyone what the expectations are? Chances are, Volpe is more broken up about his performance over the last three years than the fans themselves.

All directed ire at Volpe should instead be directed at the Yankees' front office, which has allowed this to go on for as long as it has. They were well beyond the point of seeing what Volpe had last summer, and probably should have gone with José Caballero for the postseason. Instead of playing the best player, they stuck it out with Volpe until the bitter end.

The Yankees would've been better off declaring José Caballero as the starting SS much earlier than they did to prevent the ongoing Anthony Volpe situation. | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

They've done Volpe no favors by trudging him out there, and if he continues to struggle, the onus goes to the Yankees front office more and more. They can't blame him if he lacks confidence and isn't hitting well, but they also can't trade him if his value remains as low as it is.

Volpe is an athlete. If it were up to him, he would keep himself out there until his body breaks down or he has a negative wRC+. Even then, it's debatable whether an athlete will hang up their spikes.

Hopefully, something awakens in Volpe sooner rather than later, so that he can go from being a distraction to someone who helps win baseball games. Until then, though, the Yankees have no one but themselves to blame for this situation.