{"id":103961,"date":"2025-07-11T17:12:28","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T21:12:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=103961"},"modified":"2025-07-11T17:12:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T21:12:28","slug":"yankees-shortstop-anthony-volpe-slumping-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/07\/11\/yankees-shortstop-anthony-volpe-slumping-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Yankees Shortstop Anthony Volpe in Yet Another Slump"},"content":{"rendered":"

With DJ LeMahieu<\/a> now off the roster, New York Yankees fans seem to be searching for another player to blame for the team\u2019s offensive woes. It now appears that they have found their next target since he’s now in a slump: shortstop Anthony Volpe<\/a>. The 24-year-old was one of the organization\u2019s most exciting prospects just a few years ago, ranking fifth in MLB Pipeline\u2019s list of top 100 prospects<\/a> in 2023.<\/p>\n

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Jul 5, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (11) bats against the New York Mets during the fifth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Anthony Volpe Mired in Another Offensive Slump<\/h2>\n

Bang or Bust?<\/h3>\n

While Volpe has had a lot of troubles at the plate<\/a> throughout his short career, his status as a former top prospect raises fans\u2019 and the front office\u2019s expectations to a very high level, a level that it doesn\u2019t look like he can achieve. And, thanks to his ongoing slump (he has a .162\/.223\/.270 slash line over his last 30 games), there has been a lot of clamor about Volpe being a bust.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no denying that it can be tough to watch Volpe when he\u2019s going through the wringer offensively. In his rookie year, he hit 21 home runs and stole 24 bases while winning a Gold Glove, which mostly made his .209 average and OPS+ of 81 look a little better. In his sophomore season, he slightly improved his offensive numbers while continuing to play great defense. Now, in his third season as a major leaguer, both his offensive and defensive numbers have not just plateaued, but worsened.<\/p>\n

Getting Worse, or Improving?<\/h3>\n

As concerning as it looks, Volpe is still a (slightly) above-average player. He registered brWARs of 3.3 and 3.4 in his first two seasons, respectively, and he has still managed to post a 1.2 brWAR through 92 games this season. But, because he was supposed to be the next Derek Jeter<\/a> (or perhaps Gunnar Henderson<\/a>, who was ranked just four spots above him in MLB\u2019s prospect rankings), Volpe has become the scapegoat for the Yankees\u2019 recent struggles, having lost 6 out of 7 before sweeping the Seattle Mariners.<\/p>\n

However, there are some statistics that suggest Volpe is still improving on offense<\/a>, or at least has the potential to. For one, he is currently on pace for 85 RBI, 70 runs, and 60 walks, all of which would be career highs. Even his current OPS of .676 would be the highest tally of his young career. Plus, he is just 24 years old, so even a slight improvement is still improvement.<\/p>\n

Better Than He Looks<\/h3>\n

The thing that is dragging down his performance as a whole is his deteriorating defense, with his 11 errors being the third-most in the league. However, most of them are a result of trying to make a spectacular play instead of eating the ball. When he matures mentally and learns that not every play has to be made, his defense will probably go back to being at a Gold Glove level.<\/p>\n

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An INCREDIBLE slide by Anthony Volpe \ud83e\udd2f pic.twitter.com\/q4B8aze7M1<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MLB (@MLB) July 11, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n