Here are three takeaways from the Yankees’ three-game series in Cincinnati.
Volpe: Yay or nay?
Is Anthony Volpe a good player who can just look really bad at times? Or is he a bad player who continues to be hyped beyond his actual value?
That is a big topic of discussion amongst Yankees fans. The vitriol directed at Volpe reached a new high during his recent slump and might have peaked when the Mets sent Francisco Alvarez to the minors last week.
The thinking from some fans is that Volpe could use a little minor-league refresher, too.
That is 100% not the Yankees’ thinking.
“I want him to be productive, however that comes,” manager Aaron Boone said on Tuesday. “Some people want him, ‘He should be (hitting) .280 and be this.’ I want production. It can be that, it can be some power, baserunning, getting on base. I don’t give a rip how it comes. We want it to come. To say a guy’s got to be a certain way because he looks a certain way or he’s a shortstop or this . . . We want him to be productive. He’s still going through growth at the major league level.”
“Through all the noise of it this year — and really a 10-day stretch here where he’s struggled — he’s been really productive this year. He’s had a productive offensive season for a shortstop. I think it’s important to not lose sight of that fact for a guy that’s 24 years old. I know he works his tail off, and we’re going to work with him to try to get him to be the best he can be.
“Everyone’s trajectory is different. Some guys ascend right away and they’re stars right away. Other guys we see that are late bloomers end up becoming great players later in their career or a part of their game gets unlocked at different points. I know he’s got a lot of talent, but great work ethic and a great competitive spirit to him. My expectations are still very high for him.”
After going 0-for-3 with a walk and a sacrifice fly in the Yankees’ 7-1 victory in Cincinnati on Wednesday, Volpe is batting .230 with nine home runs, 44 RBIs and a .722 OPS. He has eight stolen bases, but has been thrown out seven times.
The 2023 AL Gold Glove winner as a rookie has nine errors, the highest shortstop total in the AL going into Thursday.
Is that all there is? Is that enough?
“That’s the next level for him: Can he get to that next level and then become that frontline two-way player?” Boone said. “I think he is closing those (bad) streaks. I understand he’s in probably a 10-day thing right now. Whereas I think in his first two seasons, there were several weeks of those peaks and valleys. Hopefully he’s closing those windows. I think he’s more equipped to close those windows with his swing now. But we’ve got to go out and do it.”
Star search
Not that most fans care about it anymore, but All-Star Game balloting continues to have some quirks.
Aaron Judge is the leading vote-getter in all of baseball with more than 2.6 million votes as of the latest tally. But it’s possible the Yankees captain will not be joined by any other Yankees in the starting lineup as voted by fans.
Paul Goldschmidt trails Vladimir Guerrero Jr. by 80,000 votes at first base. Volpe, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Austin Wells and Cody Bellinger are all sixth in their listed positions. The Yankees did not list Giancarlo Stanton as their designated hitter nominee because he started the season injured. Ben Rice is second by a large margin among AL DHs to Baltimore’s Ryan O’Hearn.
The Yankees should be represented by some pitchers at the July 15 game in Atlanta. Max Fried is a lock and Carlos Rodon is a strong candidate.
One is the loneliest number
Devin Williams said clearly and unequivocally on Wednesday that he prefers to pitch one inning. The issue came up because Boone did not ask Williams to pitch a second inning after he threw a nine-pitch ninth in Tuesday’s 5-4, 11-inning loss to the Reds.
Mark Leiter Jr., who apparently has no such rule, pitched in the 10th and 11th after throwing 27 pitches the night before.
Williams, who appears to have his closer’s job back since the Yankees like using Luke Weaver as a multiple-inning weapon, is a free agent after the season.
Some guys just aren’t a great fit in New York; it’s hard to forget Williams getting booed on Opening Day.
Something tells us Williams’ Yankees career will be like his innings preference: one-(year)-and-done.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.