For the New York Yankees, this season is at a crossroads. In a rough weekend in Miami, the team suffered a historic sweep at the hands of the Marlins, which is the first in the Florida franchise’s history. That series was a perfect storm of frustration, which saw a wild 13-12 loss, a 2-0 shutout, and a final 7-3 loss. Though Bronx as a whole couldn’t survive, shortstop Anthony Volpe came through with a surprising resurgence. He went 4-for-5 along with a homer, which marked his 17th home run, in the first game. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. The Yankees are at 60-52, 4.5 games behind the first place and still in a tight Wild Card race.

Amidst this tense environment, a single social media post seemed to try to look on the bright side. The Yankee Report noted, “Anthony Volpe has more homers (17) than… Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bobby Witt Jr., Teoscar Hernandez, Bryce Harper, Marcel Ozuna.” Still, the fanbase did not applaud this token effort. This single statistic has unintentionally become a symbol of a much larger problem.

On the surface, 17 home runs from a shortstop are great. But that number exists in a vacuum. For the 2025 season, Volpe is hitting just .221 with a poor .289 on-base percentage. What’s more concerning is that his Gold Glove caliber defense, which he has been known for, appears to have vanished into thin air. He currently leads all MLB shortstops with 16 errors, which is a shocking regression for a player whose identity was built on his glove.

Looking at the home run totals alone does not tell the full story. Although Volpe has a home run more than both Bryce Harper and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (who have 16), the difference in overall value produced is enormous. Guerrero Jr. is hitting .292 with a .397 on-base percentage. And Harper is hitting .269 with a .375 OBP. When compared to Volpes’ numbers, the picture isn’t nearly as good as The Yankee Report intended.

The narrative remains consistent with advanced statistics, too. Volpe’s OPS+ of 96 is under the league average of 100. This indicates he is a less productive run creator compared to an average MLB hitter. In striking contrast, Guerrero Jr. (140 OPS+) and Harper (138 OPS+) are offensive powerhouses, generating an astounding 4o% and 38% more runs than average, respectively. The home run number, while true, completely misrepresents the massive difference in their value at the plate.

Fans shrug off Anthony Volpe’s 17 homers

A portion of the audience completely ignored the stat by comparing it to real, true power. “Okay and nobody cares bc Cal Raleigh is him“. Volpe has 17 homers this year, but Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is having an MVP-caliber season with a staggering 42 home runs. This comment brilliantly shifts the goalposts. Clearly, 17 homers aren’t special in a league where others are rewriting the record books.

For many, the most glaring issue is Volpe’s defensive collapse. “And more errors than all of them combined“. While not exactly true, the sentiment is very much on point. Volpe’s 16 errors, which led all MLB shortstops, are a catastrophic drop from his 2023 Gold Glove season.

Other supporters responded to the original post with criticism.“Of those 5, plus volpe, who has the highest BA, OBP, RBI, OPS etc? This post is what I feel is the Yankees problem. There’s more to the game than HRs but that’s all they care about.” This fan could not be more right. The information available backs their argument. Within that group, Guerrero Jr. has the highest batting average and the best on-base percentage. Harper has the best OPS (.878) as well. Volpe is at or near the bottom for all those listed metrics.

The situation has also given many fans a painful sense of déjà vu. “Joey gallo hit more homers than a lot of people too. Where’s he at right now??” The comparison to Joey Gallo is a very fair one. Gallo’s time in New York was a disaster; in 140 games, he hit 25 home runs but batted a historically low .159. Since then, his career has been in a downturn, which has also seen him try a pitching comeback at age 31.

Finally, some fans used a simple question about the absurdity of comparing Volpe to these established superstars. “If you could trade Tony Volpe for any of the players you listed, would you do it?”  The question is powerful because the answer is an obvious “yes,” yet the reality is a fantasy. Volpe is on a near-minimum salary, while the others are on massive, franchise-altering contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars. No team would ever consider a one-for-one swap.