Aug 27, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (11) reacts to striking out for the fourth time against the Washington Nationals during the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Legend Defends Struggling Yankees Shortstop

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Joseph Randazzo | Last updated Sep 6, 2025 1:00 PM ET

CC Sabathia saw the best and worst of the New York Yankees. Upon arriving, he helped lead a pitching staff that led the organization to its 27th championship. He also experienced some lean years between 2013 and 2016, during which even reaching the postseason was a struggle. Not to mention a highly publicized battle with alcoholism, where he admitted the hardest thing to do in life was asking for help. This is why the man who saw it all had some choice words for the way Anthony Volpe has been covered in the media.

"You know what's crazy? I think it's like people need to relax," Sabathia said when asked about Volpe.

"I just watch, like you know. Miguel Andujar got ran out of here because we said he couldn't catch ground balls. I mean, that guy's still playing in the big leagues today. It's hard to develop young talent here. Just because of the demand, right? Like, we're trying to win the World Series every year. You don't have time for guys to go through growing pains. I mean, I feel like Gary Sanchez could still be catching for us if we had patience. If we were able to … like if … as a fan base, as a city, let let these kids go through whatever they're going to go through. The game's hard to play, man. It's very difficult."

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Sabthia then went into the most significant challenge Volpe faces, which is the constant comparison to the near-unanimous Hall of Famer, Derek Jeter.

"Can you imagine a 21-year-old or a 20-year-old who comes here and all the pressures on their shoulders. I think Volpe gets a tough break because people want to compare him to Derek [Jeter] all the time, and like, hey, he needs to replace Derek. Well, what about [Didi Gregorious]? Dee replaced Derek beautifully. Hit back-to-back 20 home run seasons. Played a great shortstop. Nobody ever talked about Derek being gone when Dee was playing shortstop."

Volpe is having his worst season in the big leagues. He was benched in the opening game of the Blue Jays series and his public struggles have been magnified as a once top shortstop prospect in baseball. His .8 WAR, according to Fangraphs, is by far the lowest of his three seasons in the majors and will not eclipse his 1.9 or 3.5 from last year. Volpe's hitting is as poor as it was in his rookie year, when he hit .208/.271/.397, and on top of that, his defensive metrics are the lowest they have been. He has four defensive runs saved, which are okay, but his -8 outs above average are bad by any standard.