STOP YOUR YAPPING! VOLPE NOT GOING DOWN!

If you decide to make a commitment and hire an employee with less experience but great potential, there is work to be done. As Forbes points out, “Mentors can provide a valuable sense of connection and support for individuals early in their careers, while also helping develop soft skills such as effective communication, decision-making, and collaboration,” says Valencia Brown, Manager of Global Talent Enablement at Skillsoft." With this said, despite his lower batting average, Anthony Volpe has tremendous potential and opportunity to be great. And the mentoring has only just begun. So, stop your yapping, Volpe is not going down.

Source: CBS Sports

Hal Steinbrenner confirmed the Yankees commitment in the young shortstop before Tuesday night's game against the cross rival Mets. "I think defensively he’s been pretty solid. Pitchers have adjusted to him now. He’s going to have some adjustments to make himself. I don’t think any of this is out of the ordinary. I told Anthony at the end of spring training, ‘You are the starting shortstop of the New York Yankees. This isn’t a three-week trial.’ So [he’s] going to be that, through the ups and downs,” said Steinbrenner according to The New York Post. 

Source: JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST

Entering Tuesday night's battle at Citi Field, the 22-year-old was batting .186 with nine home runs and a .605 OPS in 67 games. He continues to battle strikeouts, but he brings tremendous speed to the bases, agility in the field and the world is at his feet. As I type these words, Volpe cranked a double down the third base line to bring the Yankees back into the game against the Mets. He later scored and helped the Yankees take the lead and knock the Mets' Max Scherzer out of the game.

“When we made the decision to go with Anthony at the start of the season, it wasn’t that we thought he was just going to light the world on fire right away. We expected that there’d be some ups and downs. But one of the things we’re betting on is the person, too, knowing he’d be able to handle some of the inevitable adversity," said Aaron Boone according to The Post. I would love it our skipper would step up and model some better behavior for our young star. Throwing temper tantrums and getting thrown out of games isn't doing it. 

“There is no greater feeling of accomplishment than helping others recognize their potential and see their worth by sharing my experiences to provide a greater perspective on how to get where they desire to go," said Brown according to Forbes. 

If the big bats and veterans were in the lineup right now, the magnifying glass would not be so clearly fixated on the young Volpe. And honestly, I think the spark and speed he brings is worth taking a chance on the rookie. The bat discipline and consistency at the plate will come. It just takes time, and commitment, both of which will come and I applaud the Yankee leadership for standing behind Volpe.

So in the words of the ever popular Taylor Swift, "Players gonna play, play, play, play, play And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate (haters gonna hate) Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake I shake it off, I shake it off." And those naysayers who base their judgment on a player who has played less than 67-games in his first big league season, chill out. Volpe is here to stay. And the Yankees leadership is backing him. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

Like this? Also Read:

HEY ANTHONY VOLPE, IT'S NOT YOU... IT'S US. KEEP FIGHTING!

STEINBRENNER CONFIRMS WHAT BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE JUST SAID

YANKEES HITTING COACH DILLON LAWSON HAS SOME EXPLAINING TO DO

I was shocked to see a tweet early this morning in reference to Anthony Volpe and his hitting woes.  Read this:

And so, a minor leaguer and former teammate of Anthony Volpe in Austin Wells who now plays on the Somerset Patriots got together for some chicken parm and some hitting knowledge and there was a shift in Volpe's stance and just like that it was adjusted.  Volpe was 2 for 4 last night with and RBI and Run scored.  And I guess my next question is, where the hell is Yankees hitting coach Dillon Lawson?

I mentioned this in a previous piece about Dillon Lawson.  He's not too in tune with what's going on with the Yankee offense, not to mention not doing much with Volpe.  Back in May Lawson said this about our struggling offense. Yanks Go Yard has it:

"We care about winning games. I really don’t give a s— where we rank in offensive stats as long as we’re scoring enough runs to win games. We played the No. 1 team (Tampa) and went toe-to-toe with them. Some could argue that we could have gotten swept. Other people could say we should’ve swept them. You know which side I stand on. I’m not concerned. We have to do enough to win games. Where we rank is of no concern of mine, whether it’s one or 30, as long as we win the game.”

Now look, I think we all understand winning games, but if you're not tracking offensive stats, you really can't gauge how a club is doing offensively.  I take it further... when it comes to slumps, I think that's where a hitting coach's money is earned.  Volpe hasn't been lighting it up. He has his moments and ups and downs and that's normal for a rookie. 

But at the same time, it's been confirmed from Volpe's mouth himself suggesting that it was Austin Wells helping him make an adjustment in the box, NOT Dillon Lawson. And so, I guess my question is, what the hell does Dillon Lawson do anyway?

And let's dig deeper? Not that I give a crap about Aaron Hicks because I don't, but how do you not feel sorry for him in Yankee pinstripes? The guy was literally lost in the Bronx... and clearly Dillon Lawson was nowhere to be found, because if he was, maybe, just maybe Hicks would have been able to work through his struggles and at least give us some quality at bats during his time in New York like he is for the Orioles right now. Looks like the best thing for Hicks was to get away from Lawson, who has been called one of the laziest hitting coaches out there. 

Lawson needs to do better, earn his money or be fired.  I leave you with this; Steinbrenner made it very clear yesterday that Volpe is not going to be sent down. He made it clear that they are going to work on things with Volpe. Steinbrenner was talking to one person... Dillon Lawson.  When times are tough on a team offensively, you don't always need to look at a manager who must juggle hot and cold players to scratch out wins.  You have to look closely at what the hitting coach is doing.  Is he riding the coat tails of a prestigious franchise, or is he putting in the work? I say the latter.  The fact that Volpe and Wells are able to figure out simple adjustments over chicken parm is very telling.  

I wrote this in 2022 and got shit for it from many of you fans. It was called MEET THE YANKEES LOSER COACHING STAFF. In it, I wrote:

"Dillon Lawson is not the answer. The Yankees hitters can probably teach him a thing or 2 about hitting. Dillon was the Yanks minor league hitting coordinator since 2018. Here is where Dillon's been since 

2008:2008-2009 Assistant coach Lindenwood University
2010-2011 Assistant coach Morehead State University
2012-2015 Assistant coach Southeast Missouri State University
2016 Coach Tri-City ValleyCats
2017 Assistant coach University of Missouri
2018 Coach Quad Cities River Bandits"

I'm not wrong.  Wake up!

STEINBRENNER CONFIRMS WHAT BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE JUST SAID

"I know the Yankees probably weren't entirely sure about it, but they probably thought, "Well we have a stellar lineup and we can get this kid up to speed and it's a good experiment, why not?" 

--Robert Casey, BYB Chief

I'm not telling you I told you so, but I told you so. After we shared HEY ANTHONY VOLPE, IT'S NOT YOU... IT'S US. KEEP FIGHTING! discussing how it was a group decision between front office and Yankee fans around the country, we are too invested and have too many opinions about this kid.  But in the end, it's about Volpe tweaking things and letting it play out.  At the end of the day however, the Yankees will do what they want.  And it appears they are doing what they set out to do... keep Volpe where he is.  

It's been confirmed now, the Yankees and namely Steinbrenner weren't really sure who the starting shortstop would be... but they took a chance on a kid based on popularity, the ups and downs of a rookie season and the idea that he was surrounded by a good team.

First off, the New York Post writes:

"Hal Steinbrenner isn’t worried about Anthony Volpe’s struggles at the plate."

And there's more:

"The Yankees owner said Tuesday the team has not considered sending the rookie shortstop to the minors amid a dreadful stretch that has seen his slash line fall to .189/.260/.345 over 67 games, with nine home runs and 14 stolen bases.

“I’ve had zero conversations about that,” Steinbrenner said at the owners’ meeting Tuesday in Manhattan. “I think defensively he’s been pretty solid. Pitchers have adjusted to him, now he’s going to have some adjustments to make himself. I don’t think any of this is out of the ordinary.”

Two things in play here. Steinbrenner will never admit to a decision that is failing. He will stick with it. He's like his old man, you have to admire that.

Secondly, this is exactly what we said this morning. This isn't about Volpe sucking; this is about us helping Yankee brass making a decision and trusting that it will all work out. In the end, it will, or it won't, but it's us, not Volpe. Volpe has the blessing of the boss.

According to Yardbarker, Steinbrenner talked about Peraza too:

"Well you never know, but right now he's [Peraza] at Triple-A. He's having a good year," Steinbrenner added during his comments. "We'll see. I wasn't sure at the beginning of the season that either one of them would be starting for us. I knew they were coming and I knew they were coming strong, but I don't believe I was ever out there saying it with the plan to have both of them playing at the beginning of 2023."

So what's in play now? Dillon Lawson, the "stand by and watch" hitting coach needs to work. He needs to energize Anthony Volpe and get him going again.  Hal Steinbrenner is demanding it without calling out Lawson.  It also takes some pressure off Volpe who has support from the boss.  You can't ask for more than that right now. 

In the end, for me, my opinion is Steinbrenner's opinion. Volpe just needs to continue to get reps. I believe while it may seem painful some games, he's working through it.  

As they say in baseball... trust the process.

HEY ANTHONY VOLPE, IT'S NOT YOU... IT'S US. KEEP FIGHTING!

Calls for Anthony Volpe to be sent down. The reasons I guess make sense, but you all wanted this... and now you don't. Make up your mind.

Volpe wow'd a lot of people in the Spring. He earned a spot on the Yankees... he did that! We all remember the video of the poorly delivered announcement to Volpe by Boone. He cried, you cried, we cried.  In the end, Yankee fans wanted the Yankee organization to do the right thing and allow him to make the major league roster. A symbol of change and the youth movement and giving the fans what we want.  

I know the Yankees probably weren't entirely sure about it, but they probably thought, "Well we have a stellar lineup and we can get this kid up to speed and it's a good experiment, why not?" Yankee brass might be regretting it right about now, who knows.  Meanwhile, all you guys, a lot of the same people that wanted him up are crying. Now we hear "Volpe's not ready" and "...send Volpe down" and "He's not major league caliber". Really?  

What's the difference between having a guy like a young, energetic Volpe on the roster batting .186 and Joey Gallo on the roster (currently batting .188 with the Twins by the way)? Riddle me that? Volpe has just 2 less homers, has 14 more stolen bases. They both strike out about the same... and yet it took forever for the Yankees to dump Gallo because was considered "an everyday player".  But plain and simple, Gallo just isn't good. Volpe? Volpe has potential.  Let's not forget, ya'll wanted Gallo when he came to New York and he was an absolute disaster. Volpe is still trying to get his sea legs and the kid's 22 with really no MLB experience... but he's horrible you say?  Everyone needs to stop.  Pump the breaks on this kid. The bottom line is Volpe isn't the problem. 

Look, the Yankees don't always make good decisions.  But it doesn't mean we wash our hands with Volpe. Now yes, it's true that Oswald Peraza is down on the farm just playing really great baseball right now.  But Peraza should have been on the Yankee roster in the first place... WITH VOLPE.  The fact that the Yankees are using a depth chart with Peraza and Volpe as interchangeable is silly.  But that's where we're at. Now Yankee fans have moved onto the next shiny thing... Peraza is good, Volpe is bad. Stop please. 

Brendan Kuty of the Athletic writes this of Peraza and Volpe (through SB Nation):

"What makes Volpe’s situation feel even more pressing is the performance of the player he beat out in in spring training shortstop competition. Oswald Peraza had been lighting Triple-A on fire since his demotion on May 14th, batting .321/.396/.728 with 10 home runs, 17 RBI and a 171 wRC+ in 19 games (though he did have to sit out this past weekend anyway with an illness). His hitting coach credits improved plate discipline for the sustained success:

“He’s currently finding this happy medium of ‘I can make really good swing decisions and not strike out a lot and still hit for power,’” Amicone said. “Whereas I think last year, between (Triple A) and the big leagues, there’s maybe that bouncing back and forth between ‘Who am I capable of being?’ I think now he’s in that spot where he’s beginning to realize that he could do both as long as the kid takes care of (everything) in the cage and with his body and game plans.”

Juxtaposed with Volpe’s struggles, Peraza is certainly giving the Yankees something to think about..."

Look, if the Yanks are making Volpe and Peraza interchangeable and they decide to swap, it's gonna split the fan base, trust me. 

Put it in perspective. Right now, the Yankees are struggling. Right now is about the time that every fan starts to call out players and tell Cashman he needs to be fired and  scream that Aaron Boone is a Bozo.  While we know all know Boone is a Bozo, this whole mess really comes from the top.  The Yankees do not seem to have a grasp on the team's needs.  Remember Hal told us all in the Spring that "we weren't done", but we are, right? Clearly.

And now Judge, Bader, Nestor... they're all still hurt. It takes some stars away from the idea of winning games consistently.  And so, what's your answer... send Volpe down? That's gonna fix it? Again, Volpe ain't the problem. It's the fans finger pointing... it's the Yankees management. It's us, not him.

As far as I'm concerned, Volpe needs some tweaking in real time, in the major leagues.  Keep him there but bring up Peraza too. Let them play together, build from each other, learn from each other. And secondly, and the most important part of this puzzle...  Dillon Lawson is the team's damn hitting coach.  He was recently quoted as saying that he's not worried about the team's production at the plate. That was May... it's now June.  If we're gonna blame Volpe for increased strikeouts and being under water, my big question is what the hell is Dillon Lawson actually doing?

Fans always do the finger pointing when things go bad. Sadly it's part of Yankees fandom. We like winners, we like production and wins.  And right now, we're not doing any of that.  But don't for a second play the blame game with a 22 year old kid that you picked.  

Volpe was picked based on his spring performance, the popularity of this kid among the fan base and the idea that a youth movement move would fall in good favor.  And maybe we'd see some nostalgia attached like the days of Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.  No, it hasn't happened yet, but remember something... you asked for this. How about we stick to our guns and see what happens. It can't get much worse. Hell, we've did it for losers like Hicks and Gallo and they were seasoned players. We can ride this Volpe experiment alittle longer.  Trust me, this team has bigger problems than Volpe.  How about a manager that doesn't know how to manage in difficult times? That's a real problem.

This too shall pass.  Keep working hard, Volpe... you may not be my favorite player, but damn I love your heart. You'll get there, kid.

YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE WHERE LUKE VOIT ENDED UP

Crazy how things go. 

Clutchpoints writes:

"Voit was recently released by the Milwaukee Brewers after struggling in a brief stint with them where he hit just .221 with no home runs and 4 RBIs in 69 at-bats. Ever since he led the MLB with 22 home runs in the shortened 2020 season, Voit has struggled to figure things out again, leading him to bounce around the league a bit after the Yanks moved on from him."

Now there is no question that when team's struggle offensively, you start to sniff around and see who's available. There was a moment there that I thought that maybe the Yankees would pick up Voit for a reunion, but it's clear now that they are happy moving on from him.

Voit craves the spotlight and no question loved playing for the Yankees. That being said, it didn't work out there way at all, instead... he's headed to Queens. Voit just signed a minor league deal with the Mets. 

This makes sense with Pete Alonso on the shelf.  Will it work out? Hey, I wish Voit nothing but the best.  That being said, I am not a Mets fan and never will be.  So... I have that going for me.

Anyway... best of luck to Luke. Hope things turn around, brother.

RODON TAKES A BIG STEP FORWARD

I can't wait till Carlos Rodon gets on the bump officially for the Yankees.  We need this guy big time.  Luckily, he is getting closer and closer to returning.  The New York Post wrote of his latest simulated stint... and it sounds like a good one:

"The $162 million left-hander threw a second live batting-practice session on Sunday afternoon, and ... it went well as he closes in on a long-awaited rehab assignment.

Rodon, coming back from a forearm muscle strain and back discomfort, threw 29 pitches over two simulated innings and had no issues, with his fastball ranging between 93-96 mph.

“The fastball life was as good as we’ve seen it, so an encouraging step,” said pitching coach Matt Blake, who noted Rodon was sitting 92-93 mph in his first live session on Wednesday."

Closer and closer baby... that's what we want.  Remember when Jomboy media mentioned in May that bullshit story from "unverified and unsourced" that said Rodon wasn't gonna pitch and not to get our hopes up? In the world for Fake news, that may be the worst thing you can do. 

I'll stick with real news.  Sure, it's a slow process, sometimes frustrating, but Rodon wants to be out there more than anyone.  

One day at the time.  Looking forward to this big lug getting out there! 

A BIG CHANGE FOR LUIS SEVERINO IS COMING!

It's only June and I can't stop thinking about the trade deadline which isn't until August 1st. Why am I so anxious? There's a lot of baseball to plan between now and then. The standings could look completely different, and I hope they do to the Yankees benefit. I'll tell you why I'm so trade deadline focused....

I believe Luis Severino is FINALLY on his last legs. His pitches in pinstripes are slowly coming to an end, I can feel it and I am not the only one. Sure there is more than one way for Severino to come to the end of his time in pinstripes, but even Buster Olney agrees and said so HERE.

In case you do not have an ESPN+ subscription I can break it down to you in simplest terms: Severino is going to be trade bait at the deadline. Olney thinks he could be flipped for some prospects and considering it is Severino and not a top end starter they may not be super sexy prospects but gimme some good outfield depth or up and coming arms and I will embrace it.

I will embrace it just as much as I embrace the idea of ending the Severino saga in the Bronx. His last two start have been disappointing and that comes after more injuries and talking candidly about his disagreement with the Yankees rehab strategy for him. He's just a bunch of drama at this point. All drama, no results and I am ready to just move on.

I think we all know the Severino saga was going to come to an end this winter, but at this point I'd rather save a few months and let him start a new chapter on a different team. Someone will take a chance on him, and maybe a change of scenery will do him some good. I have no ill will with Severino, I am just tired of the mediocrity and the drama that goes with it.

Start the clock. It's been real....it's been fun.....it just hasn't been real fun, Sevy. No hard feelings.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE YANKEES - RED SOX RIVALRY FEELS REAL AGAIN!

Source: The Boston Globe

Between the orange haze, the Belmont Stakes and my own travel schedule, this Yankee-Red Sox series just snuck up on me. And guess what, just in time. Sure, we are playing without Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo, which just feels wrong, but I have to say, this rivalry really fires me up. And maybe it is keeping my mind off of the potential that we may not see Judge in the Lineup until after the All-Star Break. 

"Since Judge bruised and sprained his toe against the Dodgers, Boone has cautioned that the Yankees won’t have a set timetable for his recovery until Judge’s swelling goes away. He received a PRP injection in his toe earlier this past week, a shot designated to promote healing in the area. They need to let that injection do its thing before reassessing the situation," reported NJ.com. 

Source: Fox Sports

In fact, it must be killing Judge not to be in the lineup, “It doesn’t feel great,” Judge said on Thursday regarding his injured toe. “If it felt great, I’d be out there.” I know Derek Jeter absolutely loved playing the Red Sox, facing them more than 300 times in his 20 year career. 

Alas, to focus and perhaps keep me fired up, earlier this week I got a message from my son in preparation for this weekend's match up against the Sox. He sent me this Tweet from a Yankee fan which bears repeating, 

"I will now be suffering from an acute case of "F the Red Sox brain for the next 72+ hours. It's a serious condition so be re2spectful. Please direct all solicitations for rational thought to my secretary. We'll get back to you Monday at the earliest." That is exactly the feeling I have. Even though we are not at full strength, it feels good to be playing the Red Sox and engage in this heated rivalry that has been building every year, even before I was born.

The Red Sox-Yankee rivalry has had a healthy reprise in the last several years after a short hiatus. This hiatus likely stems from the successes from the Rays and Blue Jays and the Sox drop in the standings in recent seasons, but there's nothing like a weekend with the Red Sox in the Bronx. But as the Boston Globe points out, "There’s been a genuine sense of surprise here at Yankee Stadium that it took this long for the Red Sox and Yankees to meet for the first time in the 2023 season, that 10 weeks had passed before the longstanding AL East rivalry resumed with a three-game series that opened Friday night." Yes, there's that. With the change of the schedule to include all 30 clubs playing at least one series with one another, there are less opportunities to play our rivals, which may not be great for either team. 

In an interview during the Fox Broadcast on Saturday night, Justin Turner former Dodger and Met, shared his excitement for the rivalry and how playing for Boston feels good to him. Just after the interview, Turner smashed a base hit, stole second and launched his way to third after Kyle Higashioka sailed his throw to second into center field. Although myself and the entire stadium let out a collective sigh of disgust, it was Jake Bauers who brought our breath back with a dynamic catch at the wall in left. It is this back and forth that keeps this rivalry intact despite their place in the standings and our star players out of the lineup.

Call it a distraction, nostalgic or just a long time coming, the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is alive again. It feels good to write about it and somehow this series has given me jolt of energy. Now if that energy is contagious and it can help our players on the IL heal faster, well now that would be something. 

One can wish...

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

FAMILY RIVALRY & THE LAST WORD

This story was written on the pages of Bleeding Yankee Blue on May 13, 2011. Not sure why is came back to my mind yesterday, but it did. I decided to republish it today.  Written by Christy Lee, one of our former BYB staff writers, it still holds up.

--Casey

When the Yankees face Boston, I have a lot on my mind. Although I’m more than a little pleased at the fact that Boston seems to be less than the “dream team” these days, I have mixed emotions about the rivalry.

All day, I keep looking at the phone, waiting for my Uncle Bruce to call me. He hasn’t. A huge Red Sox fan, he never missed an opportunity to call me and bust my chops a little. Or a LOT. The calls would start before the game and continue during the game. If the Yankees lost, I never heard the end of it.

Sometimes, I would pick up the phone to hear nothing but his laughter if Mariano blew a save. He would often forget that there was a two-hour time difference from Colorado, calling very late into the evening just to let me know that yes, he watched it, and yes- my team blew it.

Being the typical Sox fan, he could dish it out, but he couldn’t take it. I made it a point to call him when the Yankees signed Johnny Damon. He didn’t answer his phone. I took my picture next to a life-sized cutout of Derek Jeter and sent it to him; he sent me an envelope full of Red Sox confetti.

This back-and-forth razzing would last all season long. An avid fan, he could get downright mean and nasty about it. I don’t play like that, and it started to get on my nerves. So, I made it clear to him that I would no longer have these discussions with him. I declared a truce. He ignored this and continued to call anyway.

I tried to explain to him that a true fan loves their team; that hating another team was bad sportsmanship. He spent so much time hating the Yankees that it seemed that he didn’t really know what was going on in his own team’s camp. Look, I’m all for the rivalry against the Red Sox, but I don’t take it to the extreme. To love baseball, you have to love the game, respect good players, and think objectively. As painful as it is to say sometimes, I have respect for Big Papi as a player, and a person. 

My uncle would never, EVER, say something like that about Derek Jeter. So I just accepted it and continued the game with him. Sometimes, I felt like screaming at him, but I just laughed it off. I let the baseball Gods handle the karma for me.

When I visited his home near Denver this past summer, my point of view about my uncle was forever changed. Bruce had every ticket stub to every game that he ever went to. He loved the Colorado Rockies as much as he loved the Red Sox, and his home was filled with souvenirs not only from Coors Field and Fenway Park, but many stadiums throughout the MLB. Right there, on a little cul-de-sac nestled up against the Rocky Mountains, was his very own Baseball Hall of Fame.

As I looked around some more, I noticed something. Prominently displayed in his dining room was a collector’s edition plate commemorating Don Larsen’s Perfect Game. Don Larsen. A New York Yankee. I was thrown for a loop. I stood there, staring at it, and I thought for a long time. Then, it occurred to me. All this time, he really was a real baseball fan. He was playing this game with me as a way of making the 2,000 miles between us disappear. He was having fun and staying connected with me at the same time.

Earlier today, less than two hours before the first pitch at Yankee Stadium, I sat on my cell phone and accidentally dialed Bruce’s number. It rang forever, and he didn’t answer. This time, I know why. My Uncle Bruce died in July, leaving a pile of unused Red Sox and Rockies tickets, and leaving me to face this series without him.

And so, to my friends, Yankees fans and Red Sox fans alike, I say this: Enjoy this weekend. Enjoy the series. Enjoy every minute with your fellow fans, even your rivals. And to you, my dear uncle, in the spirit of family tradition, I say, with love… LET’S GO YANKEES!!!!!



--Christy Lee 

BYB Staff Writer
Twitter: @ladybleedsblue

STUD HARRISON BADER IS ANTSY TO RETURN

 I love this very much. Harrison Bader is almost ready to rock.

As you know, Bader is on the IL for a hamstring strain.  Now he really wants to get back and help this Yankee team!  The New York Post has the scoop:

“I don’t want to waste any time,” Bader said Friday...“If I feel good and I feel confident, I want to go out there and help this team win. I know when I get to that place, I’ll be in a good spot where I can help this team win, which is all that matters.

“I’m not helping anybody if I’m on a rehab assignment.”

Bader took pregame batting practice Friday and did some work in the outfield. Asked if he was running at full speed yet, Bader said, “I’m running pretty fast.”

Having Bader back is gonna help, no doubt.  The dude's been playing with his hair on fire since he was activated last season.  I can't wait for this dude to get back in the Lineup. It's gonna be vital and important.

WE'RE BEING MOCKED FOR VOLPE'S NON-WALK OFF HOME RUN. EVERYBODY CALM DOWN

Do ya'll realize that at this moment, 8:30am... VOLPE is trending? Not because he did anything spectacular in the ninth to walk-off the Yankees against the Red Sox last night. But instead, because he didn't.

The Yankees lost last night for the people playing at home that didn't watch the game.  We lost 3-2. The game was OK, but the Yankee bats couldn't do the job.  It happens.  But there was a "moment" if you want to call it that.  Volpe almost walked off.  Key word... almost.

But he didn't. Yet, YES Network tweeted this out which I found insanely odd:

Anthony Volpe came *this* close to a walk-off homer in his first career game against Boston. pic.twitter.com/E0O3NuHV50

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) June 10, 2023

And of course Boston fans love mocking us:

Yankees fans celebrating the Anthony Volpe walk off HR that never happened…
pic.twitter.com/e4h3nUkuKx

— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) June 10, 2023

OK, OK, I'll give them that one. But here's the thing.  He didn't homer... he didn't walk off. We didn't win.

What the hell are we holding on to... what didn't happen?  Look, we are Yankee fans. We expect to win alot of games this year, but we're just not gonna do that.  But these moments of "almost" aren't gonna cut it either. Volpe is a good player.  Did the Yankees bring him up too quickly? I can't answer that. I kind of like his energy however. I kind of like that he's got a decent team surrounding him allowing him to figure it all out.  Is Volpe a major leaguer? I'd say yes. There have been worse players called up and have done a worse job that have figured it out over time. Maybe on the Tigers, Volpe finds his way more than on the Yankees because the Yankees are so prestigious and us fans expect perfection. But for the most part, Volpe will be OK in pinstripes.

I was disappointed to hear from this Keith McPherson dude suggesting Volpe's overmatched. I think that's a provocative stretch and ridiculous.  McPherson said this:

"The kid is overmatched. He’s not ready to be in the lineup every day at the MLB level."... He says the Yankees themselves didn’t do Volpe any favors with how they held him up heading into the season, while also shuffling him up and down the lineup.

"...he’s a kid.... They did him a disservice. They tried to have him lead off, then they had him at seventh, then ninth. It’s tough to swim in those waters at 22 years old doing it for the first time."

And while McPherson said he's gonna be fine, don't say they did him a disservice. Then don't say he's overmatched.  Don't say any of it.  Just shut up.  

The Yanks have tried this before.  They tried it with Derek Jeter.  They tried it with Mariano Rivera... first setting up Wetteland, then giving him a chance at the closer role and seeing how it worked. At one point they wanted to trade Bernie after things weren't going right for him.  

My point is there is so much that goes into these decisions, but the biggest one is patience.  The New York Yankees right now are in a great place to experiment with Anthony Volpe.  And you want to talk about overmatched? It sounds like McPherson's opinions are silly and overmatched compared to much of his competition. Maybe he needs to do better at being provocative.

But in the end, whether Volpe is ready or not, one thing is clear.... Us Yankee fans need to start worrying about rooting hard for our team no matter what.  If we stink, we need to still be there. If they're great, we need to keep rooting hard... and if they ALMOST walk off... maybe we just need to accept that part where they DIDN'T do it and just move on.

Today's a new day... maybe we scratch out a win today.  We have guys like Jake Bauers, Billy McKinney trying their best and a pretty solid group of guys in that lineup every day.  I mean sure, we're not gonna win 162 games this year, but that's not the goal, right? The goals to win each series.  And then win a championship.

Let's go game by game.  We got this!

Let's go Yanks!

DIDI GREGORIUS JUST LANDED A GIG

I've always been a fan of Didi Gregorius. He came to New York with big shoes to fill and he didn't ask for that. He did what he should have done. Took a deep breath, explained to the fans that he's not replacing icon Derek Jeter, he's just gonna play his game.  And then, guess what he did... played his game and became a Yankee favorite.

Didi was absent from baseball for a bit and bounced around from team to team. He currently was playing in Mexico, but that doesn't mean he wasn't trying to get back to the MLB.  Well, now we have a confirmation. He just signed a deal with the Mariners.

MLB Trade Rumors writes:

"The Mariners have signed infielder Didi Gregorius to a minor league deal... Gregorius’ deal contains a $1.5MM base salary if he cracks the MLB roster, reports Daniel Kramer of MLB.com (Twitter link)."

It's great for Didi. I really hope he can hang on with the big club. He's a gentleman in baseball. Just a great dude. I wish him the best.