The Martian? Homer Jones? Uncle Ben's Rice? Oswald & Oswaldo? Estevan Florial? Volpening Day?
Remember the stars we were promised - Sevy, Nasty Nestor, the Kraken? - and how, as soon as we came to believe, they were suddenly replaced by the G-Strings - Giancarlo, Gleyber, Grish and Gallo...?
Wellp, here we are - September going on forever - losing sight of Tampa and flicking off Boston - and we're back to that eternal Vince Lombardi Rest Stop, near rollicking Ridgefield, awaiting one more shot at a new Yankee heritage.
And, gulp, is this real?
At SS, George Lombard Jr.
In CF, Spencer Jones.
Somewhere, anywhere, Ben Rice.
And now, at 2B, Anthony Michael Volpe, the pride of Morristown.
(Note: After viewing this list, it occurs to me that Jasson Dominguez might not be far behind. Yankee OFs - especially those over 6'7" - should be careful with their hamstrings.)
It's taken 140 games and six months, but that glorious wave of youth we've heard about since 2022 is finally within sight, thanks to Volpe's recent power surge in Scranton and Jazz Chisholm's hyper-extended thumb.
That sprain might not only end Chisholm's season but crush his remaining time as a Yankee. Last night, after Chisholm's injury was disclosed - (Jazz hits the 10-game IL with 18 to play) - Jose Caballero (hitting .071 this month) took over at 2B. But as soon as the Yankees announced Volpe's recall, the juju gods began weaving their Lady MacBeth/Cashman machinations.
Volpe returns with a BA of .240 and 1 HR, a rather dreadful OPS of .660 and a lame SB/CS ratio of 7/4. The big surprise of the trade deadline was that he didn't end up packaged with a wide-receiver and sent to some corn city backwater. And frankly, the biggest reason why Volpe remains a Yankee is probably that nobody else wanted him enough to part with a pencil sharpener.
But but BUT... he's hit 10 HRs at Scranton, on a tear of late, and here he is - back and receiving what few failed Yankee prospects ever see:
A fourth shot at redemption.
In the movies, he learns the power of love from manager Woodie Harrelson and becomes a Yankee legend. Dunno about that. But once again, it's Volpe! Bring it on! One more time, we shed our caustic disillusionment and face the fact that we are insufferable believers. One more time. Could it happen?
I'm not so happy about hearing Volpe hit a lot of homers in AAA. In my view, he's not a home run hitter and shouldn't be swinging for the fences.
ReplyDeleteI'd have been happy to hear that he got his batting average up over .400 but that ain't so, right?
Does the 4 caught stealing in 11 attempts count all the times he got picked off? Probably not. There was a time it seemed he got picked off 75% of whenever he reached base. That's got to stop. I don't care if he doesn't steal any bases. He can't be getting picked off all the time, giving away outs.
ReplyDeleteThis is all on the manager. There ain't another manager in baseball who would have tolerated this kind of insanity.
So today, another pitching mismatch with Fried (sub 3 ERA) vs Feltner (ghastly 6 ERA). No excuses, I want to see the Battlin' Bronx Bastards win this damned game. Complete the sweep, for once. Get it done, you bastards!
ReplyDeleteVolpe. Oy.
ReplyDeleteChisolm was finally hearing up before the injury. Maybe he needs a larger sliding mitt? I looked it up and there she currently no limits to the size of the mitt players are allowed to wear. Who’s gonna be the first one with a 2 foot long slider?
ReplyDeleteThis amounts to Volpe s last chance with the team. Let’s see if he’s up to it.
Why don't they use clown gloves?
DeleteThey could use them for marketing. “The Official Clown Glove of the New York Yankees”
DeleteThey should stop sliding hand first. That's just an injury waiting to happen. But of course, under the present dogma of the game, everybody was doing baseball wrong for 150 years.
ReplyDeleteSliding head/hand first is crazy, except for very limited situations sliding around the catcher at home plate. Besides, there are extra benefits to doing a pop-up slide feet first into the other bases. If the throw gets away from the defender, it's easier to take the extra base. Do the dumb analytics take that into account? Probably not. Analytics today is the real revenge of the nerds - supposed to make the game better - but I don't see that. Looks like it's making everyone worse.
DeleteI think there was an advantage to it at one time, as fielders would try to tag the baserunner’s hand or arm reaching for the bag. Now, catchers routinely throw to the first base side of the bag, allowing the defender to tag the torso as it goes sliding by…Also, sliding feet first makes it easier to keep contract with the bag. How many times have we seen a runner out when he loses contact with the base ( or over slides)?
DeleteI, for one, am absolutely pulling for Volpe to do well. Why would we not want him to help the team? Logic escapes me…..
ReplyDeleteThis could very well be a trial run for next season. (If there is a next season) It seems unlikely the team would meet Chisolm’s salary demands, and Volpe’s here, so…
DeleteI think everyone wants Volpe to make it. What we afeared of is that dumbass Yankee management allows him (or makes) him fuck everything up. Case in point is the baserunning. Who the hell gets picked off nearly every time he gets on base? Why doesn't Boone fix that? It's the management and coaching here, atrocious, simply atrocious.
DeleteAnd he better not be swinging for the fences on every pitch, striking out half the time. Again, what kind of dumbass manager or coach tolerates this? Only on the Yankees.
I have to think that Volpe is not very bright (as a baseball player). Why does he allow the coaching to delude him into thinking that he's a home run hitter? Doesn't he realize that getting picked off is the worst thing anyone can do? At some point, it's on him to develop some baseball smarts and stop making these crazy mistakes. Let's start with the at-bats. I want to see professional at-bats every time up. There is no reason why a player cannot take a professional at-bat. He can be outclassed or blown away by a pitcher; he can make out; but let's see the right approach in every at-bat. That's what a professional at-bat is. Taking the right approach. Doing (or trying to do) the right thing in each at-bat. Striking out on three giant swings ain't a professional at-bat.
To an earlier point, his baseball IQ isn't very high. And I'm not sure it's teachable. You can improve, you can learn, but your IQ doesn't change. It is what it is.
DeleteI think you're right, Hammer and 999. Also, going in feet first automatically makes the fielder worry about getting out of the way. Sure, no one sharpens their spikes anymore. But there is just the automatic reaction to legs that are threatening to knock you down—and WILL knock you down, if you don't manage to evade them.
ReplyDeleteIt's one more thing to distract the fielder. But again, these things never figure into analytics, which can't imagine any situation in baseball aside from a guy who looks like belongs in beer league softball chugging slowly around the bases after either he or the next guys has hit a home run.
The game must change!