Now look Yankee fans, if you know me here at BYB, you know I am truthfully honest. I'm gonna say alot of stuff right now that is on my mind. You may agree or you may not, but just know that opinion when it comes to the Yankees is important. You don't have to agree. That being said, let me get this off my chest. Anthony Volpe? Austin Wells? They are mediocre. There... I said it.
Let’s be clear. A .301 OBP is the best Volpe has ever managed in his major league career. And if you need a refresher on what qualifies as decent at the plate:
.340 OBP = Solid
.360 OBP = Very Good
.400+ OBP = Elite
Volpe’s .301 OBP = Subpar
And while we’re on the subject, Volpe’s strikeout rate is climbing, his batting average is falling, and his advanced metrics are just as underwhelming. Here’s the career snapshot:
Anthony Volpe (Career): .228/.288/.373 / 7.3% BB | 25.0% K | .145 ISO | 84 wRC+
League Average Shortstop: .251/.314/.406 / 7.5% BB | 21.7% K | .154 ISO | 99 wRC+
That comes from Start Spreading the News. Every single category? Volpe is worse. And yet, Boone defends him like he’s a superstar battling through a cold streak. When asked about Volpe after a rough game against the Rays, Boone actually said:
“They really beat him up in the strike zone with heaters.”
“Before last night, he’d still been having good at-bats and hitting the ball hard.”
Good at-bats? Hitting the ball hard? What are we watching here — Boone’s fantasy league or actual Yankees baseball?
This isn’t a guy in a slump. This is just who Volpe is: A defensive shortstop with replacement-level offense. And he’s not alone in this illusion.
Let’s talk about Austin Wells — the other half of this overhyped duo. Wells is batting .182. Boone, during spring training, actually tried to sell the fanbase on the idea that Wells could be the leadoff guy. Seriously.
Wells led off in 16 spring training games — and it was a dumb idea from the jump. But Boone stuck with the narrative all spring. And when the season rolled around? Sure enough, Wells batted leadoff on Opening Day and even hit a home run against the Brewers. That was it. That was the peak of the “Wells leadoff” experiment. It ended as quickly as it began — because it was always a bad plan. I wrote about it and got shit for it. Read AUSTIN WELLS IS NOT A LEAD OFF GUY! Once again, we are right here, because we understand baseball and we don't work for the Yankees front office. Boone's a pawn.
But here's the real issue: Boone supports guys who don’t deliver. Not because of performance. Not because they’re producing. Because of relationships. Because of comfort. Because these are his guys. And it’s costing this team.
Will the Yankees be fine offensively overall? Probably. Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, and Aaron Judge will keep the lineup afloat. They’ll generate the big moments and the national headlines. But Volpe and Wells? Besides an occasional highlight, they’ll be ghosts. Non-factors. And no one in the mainstream media will talk about it. No one will question it. It’ll all get buried under Judge moonshots and Goldy doubles.
Bottom line? We see two players who are still green, still not fully developed, still not real contributors at the major league level — and a manager betting his future on them, blindly. This isn’t about development anymore. This is about distraction. The Yankees are counting on fans not noticing. But guess what? Bleeding Yankee Blue is paying attention. We’re not going to be fooled. Not by Boone’s spin. Not by empty stats. Not by occasional flashes that fade back into mediocrity. You want a team built on hype and friendships? That’s what you’ve got right now in Wells and Volpe.
And until the Yankees face that truth — the trophy case is going to keep collecting dust.
We're honest here. This is how we feel... sorry to disappoint you all, but when in the hell was an average under .199 considered good? If it was Mario Mendoza would be a hall of famer right about now.
It's fucking ridiculous.
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