THE YANKEES MANUFACTURED SUPERSTAR PROBLEM

I know, I know… I’m the “Volpe hater.” Some of you have wanted to say it to me for years, and plenty of you already have. That’s fine. I really don’t care anymore. Opinion in journalism is how the world works.  You don't have to like it. I don't have to like certain things either.

I have said this repeatedly. Buckle up. At some point, people have to stop pretending this story is about a player earning a spot and start admitting what it actually looks like: favoritism, connections, and an organization forcing a narrative down everybody’s throat and hoping... praying that it works.

There are players who claw their way through the minors, earn every promotion, survive every slump, and force the organization to notice them. And when it happens... it feels good for everyone.

Then there are players who get treated like a VIP at a nightclub before they’ve even proven they belong inside.

After everything I uncovered in my piece, HOW YANKEE SCOUTS LOST THEIR WAY IN THE VOLPE RECRUITMENT, I’m more convinced than ever that Anthony Volpe was pushed through the Yankees organization because certain people inside the building became personally invested in proving they were right about him.

And once that happens? Logic leaves the room. Suddenly the normal standards don’t apply anymore.

A kid struggles? “Trust the process.”  A kid looks overwhelmed? “He’s adjusting.” A kid hurts the team offensively for months? “He’s battling.” Listen to Boone night after night. He fanboys this Volpe kid like a proud dad on a tee-ball field.

Meanwhile, if another kid without the friendships, relationships, and internal backing performed the exact same way, he’d be on a bus ride to Scranton before the postgame spread hit the clubhouse. That’s the truth nobody wants to say out loud. Bleeding Yankee Blue calls it like we see it and people don't like it.  Well we didn't start this blog to make friends. We started it because we are real fans. We don't trry to coddle Yankee players so we get interviews.  We don't try to be nice when the team sucks so we get access. We are grassroots and we call it like it is.  

Look, the Yankees didn’t truly develop Volpe — they protected him in my opinion. They insulated him. They marketed him. They treated him like an organizational project long before he proved he was a franchise cornerstone.

And the more I read about guys like Matt Hyde gushing over him, the worse it looks. Hyde coaching Volpe during summer ball 2 years in a row and somehow that became enough for people in the organization to treat him like baseball royalty. Damon Oppenheimer himself admitted Volpe wasn’t initially viewed as some elite can’t-miss talent internally, yet somehow the machine kicked into gear anyway because influential voices became emotionally attached to the kid. That’s not scouting. That’s politics.

Real scouting is objective. Real scouting says, “Here are the flaws. Here’s the timeline. Here’s what still needs work.”

What happened here felt more like certain people inside the Yankees desperately trying to protect their own reputations by making sure Volpe succeeded no matter how much forcing it took. This is my opinion.  And again, what message does that send?

Work hard? Maybe.

Or just hope the right executive likes you enough to move mountains on your behalf.

Don't lose your way Yankee fans. Three weeks ago, the Yankee fanbase was practically unanimous: Jose Caballero earned the job, and Volpe shouldn’t have been called back up yet. The comments are everywhere. Fans were tired of watching automatic outs buried in the lineup from Volpe while a more productive player sat.

Then fast forward. Caballero is out, Volpe is back in the majors. Volpe has a nice Sunday against the Mets. Except for when he crossed the line literally and slammed into 2nd baseman Max Schuemann ruining a legit shot at getting the runner out at home. But then he follows it with a solid game Monday against Toronto. Suddenly everybody wants to erase two years of inconsistency because he had a couple good nights in May.

That’s Yankees fandom now. Two games and amnesia kicks in I guess.

And listen — good for him. Seriously. I’m glad he’s producing. I never root for failure in pinstripes.

But with the amount of hype, protection, excuses, media shielding, and internal lobbying this kid has received since Day 1, THIS is what should be expected every single game from Anthony Volpe. Not once a week. Not in flashes. Every. Single. Game.

This isn’t some overlooked underdog story anymore. The Yankees themselves created the expectation that Anthony Volpe was supposed to become a superstar immediately. They sold that to the media. They sold it to the fans. They sold it to themselves. Boone walks around the dugout muttering "He's f'in elite" when we all know he's not. But say it enough and you start to believe your own B.S.

So don’t get angry when people hold Volpe to the standard THEY created.  And please stop with the shoulder excuse already. I’m beyond tired of hearing about the shoulder. I never bought it. In my opinion, the Yankees knew he was suffocating the lineup offensively and needed a reset without publicly admitting their prized project wasn’t working. So, they dressed it up neatly.

Call it an “injury,” slow the criticism down, buy some time, and hope people forget how bad things looked before he disappeared. That’s what it felt like to me.

And even with this recent hot streak, I still do not believe Anthony Volpe should have been handed the Yankees shortstop job. I don’t see a long-term elite shortstop. I see a utility infielder. A backup second baseman. A player with limited range, inconsistent instincts, and an organization trying to convince everybody they’re watching something generational.

Meanwhile, Jose Caballero goes out there and simply plays winning baseball.  He pressures defenses. He changes games on the bases. He gets on base more consistently. He brings versatility. He gives managers options. He looks like a player fighting to stay in the league every inning he’s on the field.

There’s a hunger to his game. With Volpe, too often it feels like the Yankees already decided who he was supposed to become years ago and now everybody else is expected to nod along.

But hey, give him another big week and the baseball world will forget everything all over again. He’ll be “back,” the scouting department will pat themselves on the back, and fans will act like a hot streak suddenly erased all the valid criticism for years.

Congrats on the heater, Volpe. Truly. Cling to it while it lasts.