“Anthony Volpe doesn’t have to be Derek Jeter,” MLB insider discusses why Yankees’ shortstop’s slump is not a concern

The New York Yankees are going through a slump in June with the Tampa Bay Rays catching upto to the American League East leaders. Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe has copped criticism amid the team's struggles.

Volpe is struggling at the plate this season as the shortstop is batting .230 with nine home runs. While Volpe's four hits in his last 11 games heading into Friday's game against the Athletics are concerning, his AL-leading nine errors have fans running out of patience.

Amid the criticism, MLB insider Bryan Hoch defended the under-fire shortstop. Hoch believes Volpe's struggles have been blown out of proportion.

"Even though it has been a rough stretch on both sides of the ball, there's no doubt about that," Hochn said on Volpe being the Yankees' everyday shortstop (3:05 onwards).

"I think a lot of the noise around him is overblown. You zoom out a little bit. He's actually having a pretty decent offensive season, better than last year. Believe it or not, he's above a league-average shortstop."

Hoch said the 24-year-old doesn't need to perform like Yankees icon Derek Jeter or one of the top shortstops in MLB, Bobby Witt Jr.

"You can win with Anthony Volpe at shortstop. The Yankees proved it last year. They went to the World Series with him, uh, he's not going to be Derek Jeter. He doesn't have to be Derek Jeter. He doesn't have to be Bobby Witt Jr. He just needs to be the best version of Anthony Volpe and that's good enough for the Yankees. I really do believe that."

MLB journalist dismisses Anthony Volpe snub by Yankees

Anthony Volpe's slump in June has sparked trade rumors, with reports suggesting the shortstop could be benched by the Yankees. However, Athlon Sports' Jake Elman believes Volpe's place is not under threat, but the Yankees are looking to add infield depth at the trade deadline next month.

"The Yankees remain committed to Volpe, and there are no indications that a benching is imminent," Elman wrote. "In fact, the Yankees haven’t been linked to a shortstop in trade talks despite the team reportedly seeking an infielder."

Although Volpe went hitless in his only plate appearance in Friday's series opener against the Athletics, the Yankees' shortstop drove in a run for the team in a 3-0 win.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash