Hour 3: Anthony Volpe Needs a Minor League Reset

**Chris McMonigle** (0:01)
888-808-1089, 4 o'clock, 2 hours down, 2 more to go.
As we take it till 6 o'clock in Yankee Baseball, we welcome in SNY as well. They're with us the rest of the way. And we get ready for another big game as the Yankees will try and take the second game of this series and guarantee at least a split, which is bare minimum for this series. And then hopefully from that point on, they can go and try and get greedy and try and make a statement because make no mistake. Whatever happened prior, as bad as they've played, and I don't care if they get one hit tonight as long as they win. Whatever happens, if they go into Tampa playing the way they were playing with Tampa on an eight out of 10 streak, yes, lost the last two last night was their third loss in a row, but still eight and two in their last 10 heading into last night. If the Yankees can look at Tampa and say, even when we're at our worst, because remember now, Tampa is healthy. Tampa's not missing anybody.
This is the Tampa team. And if you think they're going to go out of the trade deadline and bring in like an impact player, we'll see. Have they ever? Have they ever?
So if the Yankees can say, we could be down judge, we could be down stand, we could be down freed, we could be playing the worst baseball of the season, maybe the worst baseball of our lives, and walk into your building while you're hot and take three out of four? That's a statement. Now they still got to go do that. They could very, they're still well within their power to lose three or four. So they got to go out there and win tonight. But if they can win this series after winning the first game last night, that would be a statement to this Rays team and to the rest of the American League. Yes, we're terrible for times. Yes, we've had an ugly 10 game stretch. And I know we'd like to talk about it. Like it's been three weeks. I hear that all the time. The last three weeks, the last three weeks. I know what the record's been. They're one in nine in the last ten games. Prior to that, they weren't that bad. Like whatever record you put out there, they're one in nine in their last ten. That's the main crux of it. They had lost one series to the Cincinnati Reds and one at the beginning of the month against Cleveland. That was it for the entire month. Then they went one in nine and lost seven in a row. That's where this is. So for the last ten games, we've been as bad as any team in baseball has been all year. Not just as bad as any team has been in the last ten games, as bad as any team in baseball has been in this entire season. The Cubs lost ten in a row and the Padres are still losing every night. It still wasn't as ugly as what the Yankees have provided over the last ten games. So if we can head into your building playing like this while you're hot, and take three or four without our guys, that is a statement to them and the rest of the American League. They have to go out and do it. Tonight, they'll do it with Caballero as the starting shortstop.
Yes, it might be pathetic, but I feel good about it. 888-808-1019, let's get to the calls. David in Westchester, what's up, Dave?

**SPEAKER_2** (2:55)
Hey, thanks for taking my call.

**Chris McMonigle** (2:57)
You got it, buddy, thanks for making it.

**SPEAKER_2** (2:59)
Yeah, yeah. So long time listening for a strong caller.
I just want to make a Volpe point around the perception that he's a bad defender, and I think just based on some of the numbers, it's an unfair narrative.

**Chris McMonigle** (3:10)
Okay. You want to give me some of the numbers? Go ahead.

**SPEAKER_2** (3:15)
Yeah, I gotcha.

**Chris McMonigle** (3:16)
Real quick.

**SPEAKER_2** (3:17)
So, from the time he was called up this year in May, he has the highest offensive rating by fan graphs of any Yankee. At the same time, he's sixth overall defensive rating in all of MLB, regardless of position, and the only shortstop with a high rating in the same time is Bobby Witt. Youngest shortstop to ever win a gold glove, only Yankee rookie. Only bad defensive year was last year with the torn labor.

**Chris McMonigle** (3:39)
Yeah. I think all of those are fair, David. I wouldn't stand to argue any of them. Those are numbers. I would tell you that defensive metrics are my least favorite kind of metrics.