YANKEES PICK WRONG AGAIN

When I wrote the other day that Aaron Boone's obsession with Anthony Volpe was alarming, I was already gearing up for this schmuck to keep Volpe up in the majors when Gerrit Cole and Jose Caballero were both ready to come back to the big team. There is something creepy and uncomfortable about the fact that Volpe can hang around the big club house with the big boys considering he just doesn't have the stuff of a major leaguer. Stop forcing this high schooler down our throat.  The Yankee fan base does NOT want this kid on the Yankees.  This isn't me being mean, this is me giving folks a dose of reality.

You’re basically saying the Yankees are operating with two entirely different standards depending on the player — and that’s exactly why fans are aggravated.

With Spencer Jones, the Yankees had no problem saying: “He needs more development.” Fine. That’s baseball. Prospects go back down all the time.

With Yovanny Cruz, despite the bullpen needing live arms, they still decided roster flexibility and organizational planning mattered more than letting a power arm help at the big-league level.

But when it comes to Anthony Volpe, suddenly patience becomes endless, standards become movable, and reality becomes optional.

And this is where the Yanks Go Yard quote you referenced hits hard:

"Yankees insider Joel Sherman previous suspected Volpe would be optioned back to Scranton to start playing other positions in an effort to become more versatile off the bench. Instead, we guess they'll be doing that in the big leagues?

That does seem like a bit of a risk given Volpe has only played shortstop for the Yankees. The other option is Caballero gets some second base/outfield reps to give Boone flexibility and give struggling players a breather."

That’s the entire argument right there. Why are they bending the roster around Volpe instead of simply acknowledging what fans are watching?

José Caballero looks like the more natural shortstop. That's it, the end. Better reactions, better athletic rhythm, more confidence, more instinctive movement. And shortstop is not a “developmental charity” position. It’s arguably the most important defensive position on the field outside of catcher.

So, if Caballero is currently the best shortstop on the roster, then the job should belong to him until somebody takes it away.

Instead, fans fear Aaron Boone will continue forcing the Volpe narrative because he already publicly labeled him “F’in elite.” Once a manager says something like that, every lineup card becomes a referendum on whether he’s evaluating honestly or defending his own prior statements.

And the thing that really drives fans nuts is the inconsistency. The Yankees were willing to challenge Jones. They were willing to challenge Cruz. But with Volpe, the organization still behaves like the original projection matters more than the current product.

I believe the solution honestly isn’t radical baseball thinking either:

• Send Volpe down.
• Let him learn second base.
• Pair him with George Lombard Jr..
• Reduce the pressure.
• Let Caballero own shortstop on the big team.

That’s not giving up on a player. That’s adjusting reality to fit the player instead of forcing the player into a role that may not fit anymore.

My broader criticism of the Yankees front office is something a lot of modern baseball fans argue about constantly. That Yankees rely heavily on projections, models, expected outcomes, and development curves, while fans are watching body language, confidence, instincts, fatigue, hesitation, and mental wear in real time.

Baseball people sometimes dismiss that stuff publicly, but internally? Teams absolutely need to know confidence and mental state matter. The question is whether the Yankees are willing to admit that the pressure attached to Volpe at shortstop may now be hurting both the player and the team.

By the way, the photo up top?

Inspired by the love affair from Ghost. If you know, you know.