Aaron Boone knows some of his players aren’t performing up to expectations, and one of the most noticeable slumps has come from shortstop Anthony Volpe, who continues to struggle despite a few solid games recently.
Volpe currently leads the league with 12 errors—a troubling stat that highlights ongoing issues with his defense. But Boone pushed back on the criticism, saying, “Errors get handed out in a lot of different places in a lot of different ways,” suggesting the blame doesn’t fall entirely on the player, but also on how official scorers assign those errors.
Offensively, Volpe hasn’t fared much better. Over his last 62 at-bats, he’s managed just 9 hits, with 7 runs scored, 3 home runs, and 9 RBIs. But it’s the defensive concerns at shortstop that have drawn the most attention.
What did Boone say in Volpe’s defense?
Even with the criticism mounting, Boone made it clear he still believes in Volpe, calling him “a top shortstop.” In fact, Boone argued the 23-year-old deserves more recognition than he’s gotten.
“Fans are gonna be mad, but I’m mad as hell Ant doesn’t have two Gold Gloves. He should have three by the end of this year,” Boone said. To him, Volpe is doing a good job and remains a key part of the team.
Fans push back
Not all Yankees fans are buying Boone’s defense. While some have stood by Volpe, others are frustrated by what they see as a lack of improvement, especially after he went 0-for-3 in the latest game against the Blue Jays.
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“He really thinks the fans are either stupid, blind, oblivious or all of the above. How can you possibly say this? The kid has been terrible defensively. Say he needs to be better. Simple,” wrote Cory Nidoh in response to Boone’s comments.
