Simple Reason Why Yankees' Anthony Volpe Is Slumping

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has a long to-do list ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline. He's shopping for a power-hitting third baseman, a starting pitcher and help for the bullpen.

A shortstop isn't on his wish list, but the Yankees have to be concerned about Anthony Volpe. Publicly, the club is firmly backing Volpe despite his ongoing struggles at the plate. He's hitting just .214 this season. That's down from the .243 he hit last year.

The last two months are alarming. Volpe hit .205 in June and is hitting an unsightly .125 this month. So what's going on here? NJ Advance Media's Randy Miller talked to American League scout who broke down Volpe's breakdowns.

"I think a lot of people are wondering why Volpe has taken steps back. It’s a simple explanation: The league knows how to pitch him," the scout told Miller. "Volpe should be hitting .280, but he’s not, because for some odd reason, he thinks he’s a power hitter. Until Volpe makes an adjustment, he’s going to be a below average hitter.

"Volpe needs to forget about exit velo and launch angle," the scout continued. "What sounds better, Volpe hitting .280 with 10-to-12 homers or Volpe hitting in the low .200s with a few more homers? That’s Baseball 101, but nobody thinks that way anymore and it’s not just the Yankees. It’s an epidemic in the game.

"Think about this: It used to be frowned upon to hit below .250, and if you hit the Mendoza Line (.200) it was embarrassing. Now you look at lineups and almost every one has multiple guys hitting around .200 or lower," the scout concluded.

To that point, the Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros lead the majors with team batting averages of just .258. The Yankees are tied with the Boston Red Sox for fourth place with a team average of .256. On top of that, New York is tied for seventh with 842 strikeouts this year.

However the Yankees also lead the majors with 151 home runs this season. Manager Aaron Boone continues filling out feast-or-famine lineups and no one better represents that than Volpe. The 24-year-old has 10 home runs and 49 RBIs this season while averaging one strikeout per game.

One also has to wonder if Volpe's struggles at the plate are affecting his performance in the field. He won a Gold Glove Award as a rookie but this year he leads American League shortstops with 11 errors.

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