Hour 2: What's with all the Volpe hate?

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**Michael Kay** (0:31)
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**Michael Kay** (0:34)
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**Michael Kay** (0:35)
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**Michael Kay** (0:41)
All right, so a great deal of Yankee fans got their wish with Anthony Volpe being sent down to the minors and George Lombard Jr. being called up. And I'm just confused about one thing, and I'd love to talk about it with you. Why is there such intense dislike bordering on hatred of Anthony Volpe?
What has he done to disgrace the Yankees and their brand? What has he done? That was so terrible. Did he get in trouble off the field? No. Did you ever see him not trying on the field? No. Did he live up to the hype, which he did not hype himself? Did he live up to that hype? No, he didn't. But I've never seen such vitriol toward a guy who's a good guy. I beat myself up every single day for that report that I had that he refused to play second base.
And I hope that that didn't contribute to the way people feel about him. What did he do that so angered you that you couldn't wait for him to go and that you just don't want him to be sent down? You wanted them to release them. I saw some people say, just get rid of them. The guy for the most part, for the four years that he was here, right? Was a league average shortstop. One year, he had 21 home runs. He actually hit a grand slam in the World Series against the Dodgers. He lived his dream by becoming the shortstop of the New York Yankees, and all he has received, since George Lombard Jr. came out, even before that, is absolute hatred from Yankee fans. And I'd like to know why.
Why is there such hatred toward this kid, who's lived every Yankee fan's dream of becoming a Yankee? Why? Because he's not Derek Jeter? Well, that's a mighty high bar for anybody to clear. Derek Jeter, one of the greatest shortstops in the history of baseball. So he's not Derek Jeter.
Was he great? No. Was he awful? No.
Was he average? Maybe a little below, maybe average. But the enmity that you people feel toward this kid, I don't get it. I don't think I'll ever get it. Please specify for me what he did wrong. And before you give me the nonsense, while the Yankees put so much faith in him, they let other shortstops go by. Who were those shortstops? Dansby Swanson? Really? Have you seen Dansby Swanson's numbers? Hitting in the two 10s? Now his 61 runs batted in, but about 25 of them came in what? The games against the Mets and another series. Good shortstop, but you had to give him a 10-year deal. Corey Seager? You wanted the Yankees to hit Corey Seager, right? How's that working out? The Rangers are desperately trying to get rid of that contract. Desperately! He can't even stay on the field. So who exactly did the Yankees miss out on that they wanted their homegrown first round draft pick to be the shortstop? That you have such hatred toward this kid? Who?
I'm here! You're the co-host. Tell me why you hate Volpe so much.
Did he do something bad to you? Did he disrespect the pinstripes, the interlocking NY? What did he do that led you to feel such hatred for him? Because I don't get it.
He carried himself with nothing but class and respect.
Never embarrassed anybody, never jaked it on the field, played through an injury all of last year.
Did he become the shortstop that he was hyped to be? No. He didn't hype himself. He didn't come out and say, I'm going to be the best shortstop in the world. He didn't say, I'm going to be an ex-Derek Jeter. Never. Never. And check out the numbers. League average. League average shortstop. And I personally don't think, because he got sent down while I was on vacation, I don't think it's the last we'll see him. Because I don't think Jess Chisholm is coming back next year. So there's a good chance Anthony Volpe is going to be the starting second baseman. Because when the Yankees sent him down, they said he's going to get reps at second base. So let's see if he can do it.