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The New York Yankees lost 4-1 to the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday, marking their fifth straight loss north of the border. While the AL East is far from over, the noise is getting louder around the Bombers. Their Monday loss included a throwing error from Anthony Volpe, his AL-leading 12th error of the season. On Jomboy's Talkin' Yanks podcast, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked about his constant defense of Volpe despite a poor season.
“I'm gonna be defensive of that, I do,” Boone responded to Jomboy's claim that he gets overly defensive of Volpe. He continued, “It's just the over-the-top [criticism] on him that's very unfair sometimes. He has not played as well defensively this year, to the standard he has set. It's still in the mix of being very good and should be moving forward. That's real.”
Jomboy went on to cite Volpe's standing in Outs Above Average and Defensive Runs Saved among shortstops. Boone responded that he prefers DRS as a stat. Last year, per FanGraphs, Volpe ranked sixth among shortstops in DRS. This year, he is 18th. It is undeniable that Volpe's defense has declined, and Boone isn't denying it.
The Yankees are desperately looking for a third baseman before the MLB trade deadline. With both Oswald Peraza and Volpe hitting below .215 at the bottom of the lineup, they need more pop. As they continue to stumble, they need reinforcements.
The Yankees have lost five consecutive games to the Blue Jays, who lead the AL East by four games. While the season still has multiple months left, the infield defense is a massive issue that must be addressed. Boone thinks the criticism is over the top, but defense cost the Yankees a chance in the World Series last year. Aaron Judge is not getting younger, and Volpe is a massive problem.
