New York Yankees hitting coach Dillon Lawson is no stranger to making head-scratching comments, like when he said he doesn't “give a s**t” about offensive stats despite being a hitting coach. His most recent take on Yankees' shortstop Anthony Volpe, who's struggled in 2023, was rather eye-opening as well, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

“If he was hitting a reckless .200, there’s no chance you’d have confidence,” Lawson said of Volpe. “But it’s a professional .200.”

According to Lawson, Volpe is hitting a “professional .200,” meaning he's making his at-bats count despite posting a low batting average. As of this story's publication, Volpe is slashing .191/.268/.358 with a .626 OPS. He had some good moments for the Yankees, and his power output has been fairly respectable with nine home runs. In the end, though, Volpe's numbers don't lie.

Perhaps the Yankees hitting coach was just trying to remain optimistic. After all, he's not going to throw his own player under the bus while speaking to the media. Nevertheless, it's difficult to agree that there is anything impressive about Volpe's batting average right now.

Volpe entered the 2023 season as one of the top prospects in all of baseball. Yankees fans were delighted to find out that he made the Opening Day roster. However, one has to wonder if the Yankees will demote Volpe at some point amid his struggles. He still has an extremely bright future, but giving him a chance to reset in the minor leagues could be worthwhile.

Or, the Yankees could just hold onto hope as he continues to post a “professional” batting average of around .200.