Yankees sportscaster insists Anthony Volpe’s critics are jealous of Bobby Witt Jr.

When he was called up to the majors by the Yankees, Anthony Volpe was seen by many as the franchise's big prospect that would fill the legendary Derek Jeter's boots at shortstop in the years to come.

Though Volpe has often shown he is an excellent defender, his production at the plate has left much to be desired. So far this season, the 24-year-old is batting .219, with 10 home runs and 48 RBIs.

Due to his failure to become a great hitter so far, Volpe has often drawn the ire of fans. According to insider Michael Kay, however, the criticism might be a product of unfair comparisons to someone like Bobby Witt Jr.

"He doesn't look good, I'm not going to sit here and put lipstick on a pig," Michael Kay said [33:30], via 'The Show' on Tuesday. "[But] if you look up, he has 10 home runs and 48 runs batted in. If you take that over a full season, he's going to finish [around] 17 [home runs] and 80-85 [RBIs]. It would be one of the top five or six shortstops. At this point, with the money that he's making, he's very serviceable for the Yankees."

"I keep telling fans, he was the same player last year, they made the World Series, and he happened to have a really good postseason. I don't know what people want. I think they get jealous of Bobby Witt Jr., who was the second pick in the Draft. Anthony Volpe was the 30th pick in the draft."

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Fellow insider concurs, claims Anthony Volpe 'at his best' is a good fit for the Yankees

Though the popular opinion seems to be firmly against Anthony Volpe at the moment, several insiders have still backed the 24-year-old to go on to enjoy a long and successful stint at the club.

Like Michael Kay's aforementioned claims, insider Bryan Hoch also talked about how Volpe is a good fit for the team in June.

"I think a lot of the noise around him is overblown," Hoch said[3:23], via "New York 4 to 7"non June 27. "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. 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."

Having finally snapped their six-game losing streak with a 6-4 win over the New York Mets on Sunday, fans will be hoping Anthony Volpe and the Yankees can now turn their fortunes around.