ERIK KRATZ TRIES TO DISMANTLE AROD & FALLS FLAT

Not sure if anyone remembers — or maybe the Yankees would prefer you didn’t — but Alex Rodriguez recently did the unthinkable: he told the truth about Anthony Volpe.

During a WFAN Sports Radio interview, A-Rod didn’t just critique Volpe; he used Volpe as Exhibit A in the Yankees’ completely broken hitting philosophy. And no, he didn’t wrap it in corporate cushioning or Bronx-approved talking points.

“The organization has fallen in love with him, but at some point the numbers don’t lie, right?” Rodriguez said.

That line alone probably set off alarms in the front office. But A-Rod wasn’t done. He brought receipts. Laminated ones.

“You have 167 strikeouts [in 2023], 156 [in 2024] and 150 [in 2025], and here’s a young man that the biggest way he can impact winning is with his number one tool: his legs.”

Bingo. That’s the whole argument in one paragraph. Speed. Pressure. Chaos. That’s supposed to be Volpe’s calling card.

Instead?

“Here’s a young man who has over 50 stolen bases in the minor leagues, he stole 18 last year, and it’s hard to impact winning when you’re striking out 150 times and you’re hitting .212.”

That’s not “hate.” That’s arithmetic. And math, inconveniently, does not care about prospect hugs, gold glove narratives, or how many times YES Network tells you he’s “putting in the work.”

Naturally, the backlash followed.

On a recent episode of Foul Territory, MLB analysts Erik Kratz and Kevin Pillar decided the real problem wasn’t Volpe’s production — it was Alex Rodriguez daring to comment on it. Kratz dismissed A-Rod’s criticism as “kinda weak,” mainly because Rodriguez hasn’t been “in the cage” with Volpe.

Which is hilarious, because last time I checked, you don’t need batting practice access to read a stat line or watch a game. I haven’t been in the cage with Volpe either — and yet I can clearly see that whatever the Yankees are teaching him isn’t sticking. Work ethic doesn’t matter if the results never show up.

This is called the eye test, folks. And Volpe fails it nightly.

Kratz’s argument also ignores a basic truth: baseball analysts are paid to analyze. That’s literally the job. That’s what A-Rod was doing. Kratz is allowed to disagree. I’m allowed to disagree with Kratz. And over here at Bleeding Yankee Blue, I get to have an opinion too — because that’s what opinion writers do.

You, the Yankees, Volpe — none of you have to like it. But it doesn’t make it wrong. Especially when Volpe’s trajectory is heading in the wrong direction.

Even Yanks Go Yard saw right through Kratz’s flimsy defense and dismantled it perfectly:

“There were two further problems with Kratz's take, the first being his notion that Volpe decreasing his strikeouts from 167 (rookie year) to 156, and then to 150 last year, combats A-Rod's point. Rodriguez never denied that Volpe is working on his weaknesses; he's saying that, despite that work, the strikeouts remain a problem. This would be like if Kratz applauded a chemistry student for raising their test score from an F to a D, with A-Rod simply pointing out that the student still lacks a competent understanding of the material.”

Exactly. Celebrating marginal improvement while ignoring continued failure isn’t analysis — it’s spin. And it gets worse:

“Another issue with Kratz's take is that he's flat-out denying that Volpe took a step back last year. Kratz's attempted logic here points to Volpe's shoulder injury, as if that moves the goal post for what is deemed a productive season. Sadly, the cold reality that destroys Kratz's point here is that players and teams in pro sports aren't given any credit for playing injured. The Yankees weren't given any extra wins, and Volpe's numbers weren't inflated to account for his messed up shoulder.”

That’s the kill shot. Injuries don’t earn bonus points. The standings don’t care. The numbers don’t adjust themselves out of sympathy. And honestly? This whole thing makes Kratz look wildly unprepared. Out of his depth. Which leads to an uncomfortable but fair question: was this even organic?

Remember, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter were both critical of the Yankees this postseason. Brian Cashman fired back. But continuing that fight publicly wouldn’t look very “professional” or “corporate.” So maybe — maybe — this was the Yankees’ quieter way of taking a swing at Alex. Maybe they asked Kratz for a favor.  

By the way, do I have proof? None. Zero. This is purely a gut feeling.

What I do know is this: Kratz looked foolish, A-Rod was dead on, and Volpe’s situation is bleak. The Yankees rushed this kid, mishandled him, and may have permanently broken him. I don’t believe shoulder surgery fixes that. I don’t believe Volpe is the future of this franchise.

George Lombard Jr.? That’s the guy I’m hoping for.

Until then, the reality stands: Kratz swung and missed, A-Rod nailed the analysis, Yanks Go Yard crushed the breakdown — and the Yankees are left staring at yet another player development failure they don’t want to admit exists.