Yankees legend says Anthony Volpe’s struggles highlight team’s ‘broken’ hitting philosophy

Alex Rodriguez says Anthony Volpe’s struggles at the plate highlight the team’s “broken” hitting philosophy.

Speaking with Brandon Tierney on WFAN on Friday, Rodriguez elaborated on how Volpe’s struggles are a reflection of the team’s broader failures.

“He really is an incredible young man with a great family and the organization has fallen in love with him,” Rodriguez said.

“But at some point, the numbers don’t lie, right? You have 167 strikeouts [in his first season], 156 and 150 and here’s a young man that the biggest way he can impact winning is with his No. 1 tool and that’s his legs. But we’ve taken his legs away.

“And what I mean by that, here’s a young man who has stolen over 50 stolen bases in the minor leagues. He stole 18 last year. And it’s hard to impact winning when you’re striking out 150 times and you’re hitting .212. So I think if you zoom out, it’s an organization[al] hitting philosophy that is absolutely broken, and until they fix it, I don’t think they win big.”

Volpe is recovering from shoulder surgery and may have to fight to keep his everyday job next season.

Jose Caballero could see time at shortstop until Volpe returns, and by then, Volpe may be battling for his job.

The team has also been linked to blockbuster additions like free agent infielder Bo Bichette and Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager.

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