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By Jackson Roberts
Contributing Sports Writer
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Every New York Yankees fan is painfully aware of the rough season starting shortstop Anthony Volpe had in Year 3 as a big-leaguer.
Once viewed as the team's homegrown heir to Derek Jeter, Volpe's career has gone sideways, and there are reasonable questions circulating about whether he deserves to keep the starting gig next season. But one insider believes there's another drawback that comes with the discourse around Volpe's struggles.
On Tuesday, Yankees beat reporter Joel Sherman of The Athletic surmised that because the focus on Volpe has been so intense, the scrutiny hasn't been as strong on Yankees starting catcher Austin Wells, who the writer believes may also need to have his starting job brought into question for next season.
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"The microscope on Anthony Volpe’s issues on offense did a lot to obscure some worrying results for Austin Wells, whose bat was supposed to be his carrying tool in the majors," Sherman wrote. "Among those with 400 plate appearances in each of the past two seasons, Wells’ drop of 4.7 points (11.4 percent to 6.7 percent) was the second-biggest in walk rate. His 5.3-point rise in strikeout percentage, from 21.0 to 26.3, was the seventh-largest."
Wells, 26, certainly has put the Yankees in an interesting position. He regressed sharply from his rookie year, as Sherman indicates, and because New York also has Ben Rice as a lefty bat who can handle part-time catching duties, it has to determine whether it's worth bringing in another backstop, which would put everyone involved in a roster crunch.
It's not like Wells is useless -- he's an excellent pitch framer who popped 21 home runs in 126 games this year. But he's now got a .468 playoff OPS in 21 games, which may go to show that his all-or-nothing approach at the plate makes him a liability in October, not unlike his teammate and close friend, Volpe.
So will Wells get another 125-plus games behind the plate next season, or will the Yankees significantly reduce his role? It's one of many intriguing questions the franchise faces this winter.
More MLB: Yankees Predicted to Lose 10-Year Veteran to Rival Red Sox
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