He'll lace them up tonight through Sunday in Double A, then maybe drive to Scranton - the Anthracite and Yankee Prospect Capital of Pennsyltucky - to face Triple A grist. The former Great White Volp could be ready for the Bronx around May 1, which leaves the Yankiverse pondering the unponderable:
What then?
As you know, Volpe is rehabbing from surgery for a torn labium, which happened last May and is blamed - a bit too conveniently? - for his dismal 2025 season. He ended up hitting .212 with 19 HRs, a wretched OBP of .272, and 19 errors at SS, most in the AL. Statistically, through age 24, his statistical doppelganger is Rey Quinones. Whether we should be awaiting his return is a debate worthy of the Pope and J.D. Vance.
Still, Volpe remains a great Yankee hype - a former future plaque in Monument Park - and I submit that, for nearly all Yankee hardcores, there remains an unquenchable dream in our hearts for his success. Remember "Volpening Day," three years ago, when he seemed on the same trajectory as Bobby Witt Jr?
What if he figure it out? What if he finally becomes a star? Do we want that to happen in another city? He needs one last shot, right?
Hummina, hummina, hummina...
Last night, for the second time in three days, our current SS, Jose Caballero, had a huge hit in a walk-off victory. He scored the winning run Tuesday, scrambling from third on a WP, and last night's single ended the game - a veritable Christmas gift from another former Yankee hope, Oswald Peraza, who co-bungled a pop-up, unleashing the hounds of Hell. This all happened barely an inning after Cabby made a great defensive play, snaring a grounder and throwing perfectly to first. It brought him a postgame ice-bucket shower from the captain.
It had to be Caballero's greatest moment as a Yankee.
Trouble is, Caballero is still hitting .186, with an OBP of .238 - completely unacceptable. At 29, he shakes out as a statistical twin to Nick Green, Terry Shumpert and Jeff Kunkel. UNCLE.
Okay, just for the record, let us all recite the current mantra.
a) It's still April.
b) The Mets have lost 7 in a row.
c) The Redsocks look bad.
d) Volpe's return helps everybody.
Volpe won't play a game in Scranton. Volpe's a Cashman golden boy. A favorite son. In Cash world, Scranton's a punishment, a purgatory. MLB rehabbers in Cash's good graces, with few exceptions based on timing and geography (ie Scranton's at home and Somerset's on the road farther afield), go to suburban Jersey.
ReplyDeleteA stint for Volpe in AAA will tell us more than Cash wants us to know about the face of the franchise too.
ReplyDeleteAA's a win-win-win. Volpe hits two levels below? Oh baby he's ready! He doesn't? Come on, just getting timing back, barely taking it seriously, those arent MLB arms, means nothing.
At AAA, there are some MLB arms. Volpe doesn't hit for Scranton, well, that's a crisis. Gotta avoid that possibility.
The third win? Retard Lombard's progress. He's looking too good too soon. Nothing better to slow down the hype on an asset you want undervalued for as long as possible than moving him out of his natural position so the teacher's pet can get his reps. Cashman knows that better than anybody.
AA is and will always be more accommodating that more or less As.
ReplyDeleteI know this well.
Very true on all counts, Publius!
ReplyDeleteGot it. The torn labrum accounts for Volpe's wretched season last year.
ReplyDeleteSo what accounts for his wretched hitting in 2023 and 2024?
I'm undermined and vindicated by Volpe's first game last night, Hoss. He was 0-2. Rehabbing Zack Wheeler K'd him twice. Lombard started at third.
ReplyDeleteI think Volpe had a torn cerebellum in 2023 and 4, Hoss. Or possibly IBS.
ReplyDeleteDon't mention IBS, JM! It stirs up too many memories of the Sweetheart of It Is High, the becaped, IBA lady. Ah, sweet memories of youth!
DeleteAs for Caballero...how about putting him on third? He's far ahead of McMahon in every hitting category. For that matter, he's ahead of Jazz "Mr. 50-50" in most categories.
ReplyDeleteWait a tick - you mean Jazz is not already halfway to his 50/50 ?
DeleteWell - look at the bright side . . . both THE GREAT WHITE VOLP (terrifically put, Leader of the Pack) and the helium-voiced Cole will be back before the end of days (I consulted many on that estimation) so we should be blistering our way to the top of the heap in no time.
"helium-voiced Cole"? Ah, yes, I remember now. Cole sounds almost like a soprano. What's up with that? Very odd.
DeleteI can concede that the torn labrum affected his throwing accuracy, but injuries have very little to do with his 2025 batting struggles. VolpE-6 is a stupid hitter. He has no clue what the pitcher is trying to accomplish to get him out, nor does he have any plan to counter that. All he does is swing from the heels to hit a HR and rarely, if at all, understands the game situation. Maybe he needs contacts because he squints constantly, especially after swinging hard with no bat contact. The coaching doesn't help by stressing launch angle and exit velocity to a non-power hitter. I think prepping Lombard, Jr. to play third is a great idea. He's a great athlete who could probably play most positions well and make the transition to a more than competent 3B like ARod did to accommodate Jeter at SS. He's certainly a much better option to play that position than anyone currently in the Yankees organization.
ReplyDeleteWait, wasn't the torn labrum in the left shoulder? Not sure why that would affect his throwing much. But I agree with you about his stupid approach. Which is why top notch coaching would be able to get a lot more out of him. With Yankee coaching here, he has a one dimensional approach. Like George Foreman trying to knock Ali out of the ring and coming up way short.
DeleteHammer, it might be his non-throwing shoulder. I guess I was giving him the benefit of the doubt. The pain might have affected his fielding?
ReplyDelete