2025 has proven to be a trying season for New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe. The 24-year-old New Jersey native began the year as a potential franchise cornerstone alongside outfielder Aaron Judge, but has struggled on both sides of the ball. Now, his tenure in New York might be in jeopardy. 

Volpe has been the subject of regular booing from fans at Yankee Stadium in recent weeks, while some segments of the fanbase have even started wondering if the team might trade him this winter. The New York Post's Joel Sherman openly questioned whether the Yankees might be better off starting Jose Caballero at shortstop if they reach the postseason. 

However, much of the problem with Volpe centers on perception rather than his on-field production. 

Sky-high expectations from the start

Expectations have always been unfairly high for Volpe. During the 2021 offseason, three big-name shortstops reached the open market in free agency: Carlos Correa, Corey Seager and Trevor Story. New York didn't seriously pursue any of them, instead insisting that they had a future answer at the position in-house in either Volpe or Oswald Peraza. 

By the following summer, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported that Volpe, who was at Double-A Somerset and had only landed on preseason prospect rankings for the first time months earlier, had been deemed untouchable in trade talks.

"The Yankees didn't blow off the shortstop free agent market because they wanted to act like the A's," wrote Nightengale in 2022. "They love Volpe, and believe he could be the next Derek Jeter."

Anthony Volpe vs. Derek Jeter 

Volpe made the Yankees' Opening Day roster in 2023 and slashed .209/.283/.383 (81 OPS+) across 601 plate appearances in his rookie campaign. He hit 23 doubles, 21 home runs and stole 24 bases before taking home a Gold Glove Award and finishing eighth in AL Rookie of the Year voting. 

Entering play on Wednesday, Volpe has hit .227/.282/.377 (84 OPS+) alongside 31 homers and 44 steals since 2024.

Among qualified shortstops in 2025, Volpe's .661 OPS is third-worst, and his 140 strikeouts are the sixth-most. He's also been caught stealing the third-most times (7), and his 19 errors lead all American League fielders regardless of position. 

There's a justifiable reason for much of the angst directed towards Volpe and manager Aaron Boone for continuing to play him daily. Nevertheless, some of that stems from an expectation that Volpe is going to be Jeter, as both were homegrown talents.

Jeter was named the Yankees' starting shortstop out of spring training in 1996. He hit .314/.370/.430 (101 OPS+) in his rookie season, with 25 doubles, 10 homers and 14 steals, unanimously earning the AL Rookie of the Year Award. 

The Hall of Famer's career would only improve from there, finishing with a .310/.377/.440 (115 OPS+) slash line over his 20-year career in New York. He would collect 3,465 hits, hit 260 home runs, steal 358 bases and win a host of awards while helping the Yankees to five World Series championships. 

He was a once-in-a-generation player. Expecting anyone to be "the next Jeter" isn't realistic, and yet those expectations have unfairly weighed on Volpe his whole career. 

Adjusting the perspective

Still, it shouldn't be overlooked how productive Volpe has actually been in his brief Yankees career. According to Stats Perform, Volpe has the ninth-best OPS all-time among Yankees shortstops over their first three seasons. Derek Jeter (.783 OPS) stands at the top of the list, followed by Lyn Larry, Frankie Crosetti, Eduardo Nunez, Phil Rizzuto, Phil Linz, Mark Koenig, Tony Kubek and Volpe. 

Volpe leads all Yankees shortstops in home runs (52; Crosetti is second with 25) and stolen bases (68; Rizzuto is second with 50) through their first three seasons. Jeter is third and fifth, respectively. 

Volpe has been more productive than many are willing to acknowledge. He just has fallen short of the sky-high expectations he's been saddled with.