Friday, March 3, 2023

Volpe homers. But any path to "Volpening Day 2023" looks rather rocky

 

Thus far, I have quietly pooh-poohed all suggestions that Anthony Volpe could make the Yankees' 2023 opening day roster. 

What kind of blog-monster cruelly discards an earnest young man's dreams? That's not me. I respect the fantastical hopes that Volpe inspires within the vast sperm cannon of Yank fan hallucinogenic deliriums. When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are. 

That said, here is the true fuckery of Volpe's situation:

1. Oswald Peraza's anticipated timetable  at SS is about six months ahead of Volpe's, and he deserves a shot. The Yankees will give Peraza every chance possible to win SS.

2. At 3B, the Death Barge seems determined to give Josh Donaldson a chance to atone for last year, even if fans react to him the way East Palestinians view the head of the Southern Railroad.  

3. There seems to be no move to trade Gleyber Torres, which means he will continue to homestead at 2B.

4. DJ LeMahieu will play everything, everywhere, all at once.

5. They'll continue to shop Isiah Kiner-Falefa for whatever, wherever, whenever.

Barring a derailment or outbreak of shingles, there is simply no clear path for Volpe to make the Yankees' starting lineup in April, and they won't bring him up to ride the spit-soaked pines.  Moreover, they'll seek to minimize his future MLB service time, to buy themselves an extra season before he becomes eligible for arbitration. The fix is in. The lawyers and doubters will have their way. 

There is simply no path... 

... Unless Volpe bushwhacks one.

Headline of the day
Well, yesterday The Volp went 2 for 3 with a walk and HR, which he hit in the first inning off an MLB-level pitcher. He played 2B, while Peraza held SS. (Oswald went 0-1 with a walk and two runs scored.) 

Volpening Day 2023 almost certainly cannot happen.

But make no mistake: We are talking about the end of one era - the last days of the Hicks/Donaldson particle - and the beginning of another. Wouldn't it be nice if Aaron Boone started playing Volpe every day? Just to see what happens? Just to test the water? Wouldn't that be something?

(Oh, one last thing: Estevan Florial had a double and stole third. Yabadabadoo! And here's the headline of the day:)  

14 comments:

  1. Why can't the Mayor and Peraza get time at 2nd & 3rd? Would they be taking valuable at bats away from Jackie D and Jogging Gley? It was good to see Hicksy pick up where he left off last year. And who is the Ortega kid? Is he the heir to the Ortega Taco kingdom or is he related to Phil Ortega? Maybe John & Suzy can shed some light on this.

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  2. Ortega is actually. a 31 y/o veteran who bats left and can handle all 3 OF spots. Not sure how seriously the team takes his candidacy for a roster spot, but hopefully he stays in the org as a depth piece - and possibly more? Like others, he is blocked by Hicks and his bloated salary.

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  3. Michael Kay says Yankee fans "expect too much" and that "winning a championship is hard." He obviously is looking at the post-2001 Yankees and not at the 1920-1965 Yankees or the late 70s Yankees or the 96-00 Yankees, when winning a championship was just as hard but we won them anyway.

    Volpe could hit balls to the moon and field like the Wizard of Oz, but if money and options are involved, he won't play. Period.

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  4. Duque -

    Don't know what I like better, ""Volpening Day 2023" or "the vast sperm cannon of Yank fan hallucinogenic deliriums" but let's face it only one of the two will end up as the back page of the NY Post.

    No not that one. The other one.

    I would however purchase a book with the title, "The Vast Sperm Cannon of Yank Fan Hallucinogenic Deliriums... and other stories"

    So you might want to consider making it your next project.

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  5. 2023 Baseball Prospectus arrived. Oh boy do Cash and Boonie take a beating. Why did Marwin Gonszlez get 100 ABs?

    "Perhaps Boone's petulant pistgame press conferences were too delicious to preempt with quality players"

    Plenty more besides. "exemplar of mere competence", "eternally underachieving general manager", "inordinate fondness for the firmer Twins first rounder (Hicks)".

    Cash bashing of the highest order.

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  6. As a Sacramento resident, the headline of the day, "The Sacramento Dildo Saleswoman Behind A Neo-Nazi Network Advocating For Mass Shootings" is a mixed bag.

    On the one hand, as a California city constantly overshadowed by San Francisco and Los Angeles, it's nice when we get a little press. But I don't think this is the kind of press we're going for.

    We have more of these people then we care to admit. The imaginary State of Jefferson is just a short drive away.

    --

    The whole Neo-Nazi/Mass shooting thing aside, it's the Dildo Saleswoman part that intrigues...

    Is that a door-to-door thing? Tupperware parties? Does she do demos? What's the return policy?

    It's always good when something you are passionate about can turn into a profession. Never a bad day at work.

    --

    Hopefully she goes to jail for a long, long time where I'm sure she'll find a lot of potential customers for both of her vocations.

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  7. Doug, I can see how the Nazi thing goes with the dildos. I mean, the Brown Shirts were very kinky until they were eliminated during the Night of the Long Knives.

    But I want to see the Baseball prospectus that Publius is talking about. That sounds incredibly grounded and real, instead of the constant bullshit we're fed by the Yankees and the ass-kissing media.

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  8. Kindle version about 12 bucks. Worth it.

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  9. You can already hear the rhetoric. " Volpe needs to play every day.He isn't quite ready yet."

    So he goes down to AAA, feels as though he had his chance ( hit .422 with 8 HRs in spring, made no errors, stole 10 bases ) , and it wasn't enough for Cashman and Boone.

    The yankees " leadership" wants to lock him up for another year at cheap prices, so they choose to ruin him. And ruin the team.

    Typical.

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  10. You said it, Alphonso.

    I managed to figure out how to copy the Yankees chapter from the Prospectus as a jpg file. Nifty little app for that.

    Let me know if you want a copy. I think I have quite a few of your email addresses.

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  11. It's an epic. The ending brought tears.

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  12. No place to play Anthony or DJ. The Yankees are paying Gleyber and Josh. How exciting.

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  13. There is no logjam at all, if they were intelligent. They could play Volpe at SS, Peraza could play 3B, and Cabrera/DJL would play 2B. Donald Duck and IKF would sit on the bench until someone got hurt. Torres would be traded for pitching. Simple, isn't it?

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  14. Re. the Nazi dildo saleswoman bitch, they don't need to throw her in jail. I hereby volunteer to put her on a dog leash and make liberal use of my bull whip on her rump, for the rest of her natural life. (Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.) And yes, I would expect that Congressional Medal of Honor in the mail for this invaluable service that I will provide to America.

    ReplyDelete

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