The New York Yankees are facing a little bit of a conundrum at the shortstop position.
The MLB rosters are set to expand on September first, and it’s plausible to think that if the Yankees don’t bring up another pitcher, Anthony Volpe could be recalled to help with the team’s infield depth. Although George Lombard Jr. has performed pretty well at the plate, he’s made an error in six straight games and can now be thought of as a liability in the field.
New York may have a tough decision to make soon regarding the two young infielders.
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George Lombard Jr. or Anthony Volpe?
FanSided.com writer Jake Elman recently weighed in on what could be a tough decision for the Yankees to make soon:
“Volpe has been worth 2.6 bWAR in 209 games since the start of last season. He’s hit just .218 with a .659 OPS over that time, and that’s not even factoring in his baserunning and overall lack of awareness. Demoting or benching Lombard to put Volpe back in the lineup is not only incredibly dangerous, but nonsensical and only stands to hurt the Yankees.”
As much as using the bWAR marker as a case in this argument, I’d have to push back on that argument a little bit by Elman. WAR is a very fluctuating number. If George Lombard Jr. continues to make errors and continues to come back down the earth at the plate, his bWAR could decrease rapidly.
The only issue with advocating for Anthony Volpe’s potential promotion is the fact that he isn’t exactly lighting up the minors at the plate. He did recently hit a home run in a AAA game, but over 26 games, Volpe is batting .215 with six home runs and an OPS of .741 with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
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What Should the Yankees Do?
Yankees fans, let me know in the comments how you would decide to handle this Volpe/Lombard Jr. predicament.
With September right around the corner, it’s fair to note that Volpe has at least a decent amount of experience playing in meaningful games, while Lombard Jr. is new to the moment and certainly looks to be a little sped up in the field.
Lombard Jr. is batting .246 over 72 at-bats (20 games) with two home runs, six RBI, and an OPS+ of 96, but are we supposed to believe those #s are worlds better than a much more experienced player like Anthony Volpe?
Anthony Volpe has been scapegoated enough by Yankees fans, but Lombard Jr. is far too young to ruin his confidence because the Yankees ‘need’ a shortstop right now…
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New York Yankees Have Tough Decision to Make Regarding Anthony Volpe & George Lombard Jr.