Anthony Volpe’s place with the Yankees has gone from daily fixture to genuine question, but that doesn’t mean his value disappeared with the role change.
For much of the past two seasons, Volpe’s name has stirred plenty of debate in New York. The patience that often comes with a young player trying to establish himself seemed to run out last year, when the errors piled up and the bat never climbed above well below average. By this season, the organization’s own actions made it clear the conversation had shifted.
That tension was on full display in the final game of the season, when the Yankees were eliminated by AL East rival Tampa Bay Rays. After all the talk about whether the club should keep José Caballero or Volpe on the roster, both players wound up taking part in that last game.
It was a rough ending to a rough year, and there was not much for the Yankees to celebrate after that flat effort against Tampa. Still, the finish offered a glimpse of how Volpe might fit going forward.
After the loss, Aaron Judge said the Yankees need Volpe to win a World Series. That line is easy to roll your eyes at if you’re still thinking of Volpe as a former everyday shortstop who didn’t live up to the billing. But the picture changes quickly when you start looking at him as a bench piece with versatility instead of a failed prospect.
Judge may not be off base.
Volpe’s days as a shortstop logging 150-plus games a season are likely over unless the Yankees move him and he finds that life somewhere else. Game 3 of the ALDS showed the outline of a different future.
Volpe started at second base and then moved over to third, the kind of flexible usage that points toward a utility role. Like Caballero, he can move around the infield and still be trusted to start if an injury strikes or if Aaron Boone wants to mix things up.
If there’s a clear priority for Volpe this winter, it’s getting more work at third base. Second base probably comes more naturally, but third should be the main target.
There’s also the part of Volpe’s game that deserves credit no matter how the numbers look. Even his harshest critics have to respect the way he handled the season.
If his ego took a hit, he never let it show. He kept grinding on his bat after losing his job, accepted whatever position the Yankees asked him to play, and carried that approach from Triple-A back to the majors.
And he still showed up when it mattered most. In that elimination game, Volpe came off the bench cold and nearly changed the series with a homer that was only an inch or two away. That is not an easy spot to walk into, especially after spending an entire round on the bench.
For the Yankees, the real upside might be in pairing Volpe with Caballero and building a bench that can actually move games. The two are similar in what they offer at the plate, and both can steal a bag and make life miserable for pitchers on the bases. That’s a kind of bench speed the Yankees have not been able to count on in recent seasons.
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