The New York Yankees have a lot of decisions to make for their postseason roster, from lineup construction to the outfield, rotation, and bullpen, to managing guys coming back from injury. Outside of the team's core foundation, almost nothing is settled, especially on the bubble.
One of those bubble spots entails the backup infielders behind a hopefully healthy Jazz Chisholm Jr. , George Lombard Jr., and Ryan McMahon . As of right now, the Yankees have three of them on the roster: Jos Caballero , Amed Rosario , and Anthony Volpe . The former has a secured spot due to his speed and versatility, but the latter two aren't as secure.
It's entirely possible the Yankees carry 14 position players on the playoff roster, but that means somebody will have to go for Chisholm when he returns. It's widely believed the corresponding move will be to send Volpe back to the minors, but what if the Yankees went another direction?
Here's why Volpe should be the one who lands that final infield spot instead of Rosario, and how the Yankees can handle the roster math:
I am personally not drinking the Kool-Aid of any tangible offensive improvements for Volpe, at least in the short term. What he did at Triple-A was feast on inferior pitchers with his opposite-field approach, something that doesn't have a 1-to-1 conversion rate in the big leagues. That said, we know what he is throughout his career: a mediocre hitter with a career 84 OPS+ and an 89 OPS+ this season in 62 games entering Wednesday.
That said, the ability to hit is maybe the least important aspect for a bench player, particularly one on a team that will have pinch-hitting options on both sides of the plate but needs defenders to replace them.
Volpe was not a fit for this roster when he only played shortstop, something that he would no longer get a chance to do with Lombard entrenched at the position. Upon his demotion to Triple-A, he got experience at second and third base, with the former being the position he's played almost every day since he was recalled after Chisholm's injury. Early returns are positive there.
At this point, we can directly compare Volpe to Rosario, who has also predominantly played second and third base when he has played. While offense is likely not on the 25-year-old's side, defense and baserunning certainly are. He's a vastly superior defender, posting a 3 DRS, 5 FRV, and 5 OAA at shortstop earlier this season.
Volpe is also a much more aggressive baserunner, recording 10 stolen bases and being one of baseball's best at stealing third base, an extremely critical skill to have in close playoff games.
And all of this assumes that Volpe's bat remains as bad as it's been throughout his career. But what if he did make positive adjustments? What if this new approach, coupled with his improved plate discipline from Opening Day, makes him playable, even as a platoon bat? He's already had a few clutch hits, as we saw in the Twins' series.
The one thing that Rosario has on Volpe is his hitting ability, particularly against left-handed pitching, but we've gotten enough samples this season to determine whether a player's reputation actually backs up the results. For Rosario? It's not pretty.
A career .287 hitter against lefties, Rosario is down to just .200 with a .602 OPS against them in 151 plate appearances, something that goes beyond a small sample size. His strikeout rate against them at 21.1 percent is the highest it's been in a decade, while his quality of contact has similarly tanked, even if he's been very unlucky (.262 wOBA vs. .306 xwOBA). Compare this to Volpe, who's slashing a mediocre (but better) .253/.323/.373 against lefties this season, so is Rosario's best strength now a weakness?
He's had pretty hefty reverse splits this season, which completely goes against why he was signed. The Yankees have significantly better options on both sides of the ball against righties, so it doesn't help them at all. When you factor in his defensive shortcomings? He really seems like someone who should be on the chopping block.
The New York Yankees may have a tough decision heading into the playoffs, whether to keep Amed Rosario or Anthony Volpe (not pictured) on the postseason roster. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Rosario is a guy who can play corner outfield and three infield positions, but plays none of them well. In just 303 innings this season at third base, he has -8 OAA and -7 FRV. He's also managed to be minor negatives in just 48 combined innings in left field, right field, and second base. On a rate basis, he's arguably the worst defender in baseball, something that would be muted if his bat was going (or if the DH spot was more accessible).
He's not a bad baserunner at all. In fact, he's one of the faster guys on the team in terms of sprint speed, but the few times he's on base this season, he's rarely in motion. He has just three stolen bases in the last two seasons and has been a net-negative baserunner according to Baseball Savant's Baserunning Runs metric due to a lack of aggressiveness in taking the extra base.
When your one strength isn't much of a strength anymore, and your usage on the roster is diminished, it has us asking how Volpe could help the team with its roster construction in the postseason.
It wouldn't even be a major roster disruptor. Rosario is almost always the last guy on the bench because of how little the team trusts him defensively. If his bat was that much of an upgrade in a platoon situation, they'd make that trade, but it hasn't.
Come playoff time, I can see a world where the Yankees play Volpe at second or third base in place of McMahon or Chisholm against a left-handed pitcher to increase the at-bat quality without a massive defensive drop-off. It would also give them another pinch-running option they might need in late and close situations, as one of the best base stealers on the team.
I don't expect the Yankees to want to get rid of Rosario, though. He can be left off the playoff roster without a problem. But he can't be removed before then, which could cause an issue if Chisholm is likely to return before the postseason begins.
Therefore, a potential solution could be to send a pitcher down and play with an extra position player down the stretch, but the team is running out of players with options. Volpe could also go down just to fit puzzle pieces and return a few days later.
Ultimately, whatever the Yankees decide, it might not be the difference between a playoff series or even a playoff game, but margins are margins. This has not been a team that has won enough close games late, so giving yourself as much of an advantage in those situations is paramount.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/yankees/onsi as Why Anthony Volpe Deserves Postseason Roster Spot Over Amed Rosario .
