The Volpe Concerns
- Paul Semendinger
- Jan 5
- 3 min read
by Paul Semendinger
January 5, 2026
***
I remember bringing up some of these points before Anthony Volpe was anointed as the Yankees shortstop and in the years since.
From the Yankees talking points, it seems that they still believe that Anthony Volpe will be their starting shortstop in 2026 (once he returns from injury).
I think it's time to bring up these concerns again because to date, after three seasons, there is a lot to be concerned about regarding Anthony Volpe and his ability to be a key player on a championship team.
Supporters of Anthony Volpe believe that he will be a good Major League hitter. I have to question this. Throughout his minor league days, he wasn't a great hitter. Why do some believe that he'll figure out how to hit better at the big league level?
The following were Anthony Volpe's batting averages as he progressed through the minor leagues:
2019 - .215
2020 - no baseball
2021 - .294
2022 - .249
Minor League Career - .262
What is there in those numbers that says, "This guy can hit Major League pitching?" The truth is that he didn't really hit minor league pitching.
It seems that Anthony Volpe was rushed to the Majors before he was ready.
Anthony Volpe played in a grand total of 21 games at Triple-A.
One of Anthony Volpe's great skills, it is said, is stealing bases. This is supposed to be one of the skills that sets him apart from others. Why, then, do the Yankees not utilize this skill? And why is he running less and less effectively year-after-year when he should be getting better at this skill with more experience?
2023 - 29 stolen base attempts (82.7% success rate)
2024 - 35 stolen base attempts (80% success rate)
2025 - 26 stolen base attempts (69.2% success rate)
Learning how to draw walks is a skill. One would think that this is also something that Anthony Volpe would also improve on from year-to-year. He hasn't.
2023 - 52 walks (601 plate appearances)
2024 - 42 walks (689 plate appearances)
2025 - 43 walks (596 plate appearances)
How it is that the people who should know the most about the player and his skills, abilities, and strengths (in other words the Yankees manager and coaches) don't even know where to bat him in the batting order? Wouldn't it make sense to have simply left the kid alone and let him develop in one batting order spot ? (I felt he should have been batting 9th from the start.)
Batting Order Positions (Career)
1st - 106 games
2nd - 3 games
3rd - 3 games
4th - 2 games
5th - 42 games
6th - 94 games
7th - 93 games
8th - 72 games
9th - 57 games
One excuse for Anthony Volpe's poor performance in 2025 was that he was injured in May. If the kid wasn't playing well, why was he playing? More, if he was injured, why did the Yankees continue to play him as much as they did?
2025 - 153 games played
Over three seasons, Anthony Volpe has never had an OPS+ of even 90 as a Major Leaguer. He has been a well-below Major League hitter for three seasons. What evidence is there that he will start hitting in 2026 (especially coming off surgery and starting the year late without Spring Training)?
2023 - 81 OPS+
2024 - 86 OPS+
2025 - 83 OPS+
When was the last time the Yankees has a sub-90 OPS+ shortstop for three consecutive seasons?
2013 - Eduardo Nunez, 87 OPS+
2014 - Derek Jeter, 76 OPS+
2015 - Didi Gregorius, 80 OPS+
Of note, the Yankees had one postseason game in that period - a 2015 Wild Card loss to the Astros.
When was the last time the Yankees had the same shortstop who put-up three consecutive sub 90 OPS+ seasons?
Alvaro Espinoza, 1989-1991
Of note, the Yankees did not reach the postseason in any of those seasons.
***
It seems to this writer that the most positive thing one can say about Anthony Volpe as we look ahead to 2026 is that this will be is a make-or-break season for him.
If Volpe doesn't perform well above his career numbers to date, or at least show some significant improvement, it would seem like it would time for the Yankees to move on from him as their starting shortstop.
The stronger argument that can be made is that this should have already happened. He has had three seasons to prove himself and he hasn't demonstrated in that time that he's a big league hitter.
Volpe..., He is the product of the NY Yankees PR team! He is a local kid, hustles, and fit the profile as the replacement for Jeter. The problem is he can't hit and his defense is subpar but other than that..... perfect in pinstripes...... to say he was overhyped would be accurate!
Oh, please, Paul. Let's look a little more comprehensively (numbers correspond to your list):
1) I agree Volpe's BA is low, but that would have been a relevant fifty years ago. Here is Volpe's MiL OPS by year:
2019: .704
2021: 1.027
2022: .802
That's why he is correctly viewed as a potentially very good MLB hitter.
2) Rushed to the Majors? He had a .700 OPS in early September, a bit under League average, but not bad for a shortstop. Then he fell off a cliff, either because he wore down or had another of the unspoken-of injuries.
3) Stolen base rates at 80% or better are good. Last year, he was injured. Last year's MLB SB leader, Jo…
Have you seen the games Volpe constantly swing and misses on fastballs right down the middle. Either he needs glasses or he has bad eye hand coordination.
Besides not having a SS arm and clunky footwork, he's perfect at SS. I see him on the right side of 2nd base. His arm is fine, he can make the DP pivot, he gets to a lot of balls to his left. It's all about his bat and approach at the plate. If he continues with his current loooong swing, I'd move on. If he decides to make contact and use his legs, I'd give the chance to play 2nd. But this team needs a real SS. Not Wally Cabrera, and not Cabellero.
Make or break is correct. A winning team cannot have a shortstop who can't hit or makes that many errors. Long gone are the days when shortstops were not expected to hit.