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By Peter Chawaga
Contributing Sports Writer
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As the New York Yankees cling to a wild card spot amid a surprising skid in the standings, they are facing an existential shortstop problem.
Once the clear heir to Derek Jeter as the franchise's long-term option at the position, Anthony Volpe has taken a sharp step back on both offense and defense this year. But as Wednesday's win over the Tampa Bay Rays showed, with Volpe hitting a game-tying homer, there are moments when he reminds fans of what manager Aaron Boone and executive Brian Cashman see in him.
"Volpe is a walking contradiction of power in big moments, off-set by too many strikeouts and poor fielding," as Bob Klapisch put it for NJ.com. "Volpe's career path is more nuanced than the Yankees are willing to admit. He's a former No. 1 draft pick who's hitting 50-60 points lower than the club's projections."
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The struggles drove Yankees fans to boo Volpe during a recent outing and Boone moved him down to the final spot of the batting order. However, it seems like Volpe's teammates are maintaining their faith that he will return to form.
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When asked about the fans' hostile reaction to Volpe, Yankees' second baseman Jazz Chilsholm sent a clear message on the shortstop.
"The way Anthony was treated here, he was the golden child," Chisholm said, per Klapisch. "So the way the fans are reacting now kind of sucks."
Chisholm added that he expects fans to look back and realize that Volpe "wasn't that bad" thanks to his home run totals. But in the meantime, it will take some better on-base production and a marked defensive improvement to save Volpe from more boos.
Outfielder Jasson Dominguez expressed some confidence that Volpe can handle hostile reactions as he attempts to work through the issues.
"I've known (Volpe) for a couple of years, he's much tougher than people think," Dominguez told Klapisch. "He has the right mindset to play in New York. He gets just as mad about the errors as the fans. He just doesn't show it."
It seems that kind of mentality will be critical if Volpe is going to prove the team's expectations for him are salvageable.
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