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ESPN analyst Buster Olney challenges Yankees infielder Anthony Volpe's claim that he lacks control over his situation, emphasizing that Volpe does have agency in his career decisions.
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Yankees infielder Anthony Volpe made headlines recently when he suggested that things were largely out of his hands.
On âThe Michael Kay Showâ on Thursday, ESPNâs Buster Olney wasnât buying it.
âI get what heâs getting at, where your feeling is, âHey, the decision is not mine,â Olney said in a clip shared on YouTube. âBut I read it and I thought, âNo, thatâs not right. You have control.ââ
The core of Olneyâs argument is that Volpe has spent his time in the big leagues insisting on being a shortstop.
He was drafted as one, developed as one and started at the position for a Yankees team that went on to compete in the World Series.
But the game has moved on, and Olney argues that Volpe needs to move with it.
âIf youâre Anthony Volpe in this moment, do a similar thing â donât insist on just being a shortstop. Go play around the diamond. Do different things,â Olney said, drawing a direct comparison to Jose Caballero, who built a career out of positional versatility and ultimately took Volpeâs job by doing exactly that.
Olney went further, citing research he did ahead of the conversation. He reached out to team evaluators who unanimously agreed that Volpe would benefit from expanding his positional versatility.
He also spoke with MLB stat guru Sarah Langs about Volpeâs arm strength, which ranks in the bottom third among shortstops â a detail that speaks to the very real possibility that Volpeâs long-term defensive home isnât at short at all.
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Anthony Volpe suggested that many aspects of his career are out of his hands.
Buster Olney disagreed with Volpe, stating that he actually has control over his decisions.
Volpe's insistence on being a shortstop is central to his identity as a player and impacts his career trajectory.
Buster Olney made his comments on 'The Michael Kay Show'.
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Yankees announcer Michael Kay offered a counterpoint that resonates emotionally.
âThis guy was a starting shortstop for the Yankees for three years. He was a starting shortstop for a Yankee team that went to the World Series. He was a starting shortstop that hit a grand slam in the World Series,â Kay said. âI would think, Buster, that he has to be absolutely devastated mentally.â
But being upset and being proactive arenât mutually exclusive â and Olneyâs point is that Volpe may be letting his emotional investment in one position cost him opportunities to stay in the lineup.
The timing matters, too. Jazz Chisholm is struggling badly at second base and is a free agent at the end of the year.
Volpe, if he were proactively taking reps at second, could position himself as that alternative. According to Olney, Volpe is not doing that â at least not publicly.
Olney also invoked the cautionary tale of Alex Verdugo, who was once the centerpiece of a trade for Mookie Betts and now faces an uncertain future in the big leagues.
âIt can go quickly,â Olney warned, âand when you have that moment, go and fight for it.â
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