CC Sabathia knows the type of pressure put on players to perform at their best as a member of the New York Yankees. He experienced it firsthand, being with the club for the last 11 years of his career, experiencing some highs and lows with the club.
Sabathia knows just what it feels like to be on the good side of the fanbase and the bad side. So, he is the perfect person to talk about what Anthony Volpe is going through at the moment.
Volpe, who is going through some things both at the plate and defensively, has been facing heavy criticism all season, which Sabathia is not a fan of. He sat down with the New York Post’s Erich Richter for an exclusive interview where he defended the young slugger.
“You know what’s crazy? I think it’s like people need to relax,” said Sabathia. “Can you imagine a 21-year-old or a 20-year-old who comes here and all the pressure on their shoulders? I think Volpe gets a tough break because people want to compare him to Derek [Jeter] all the time, and like, hey, he needs to replace Derek. Well, what about [Didi Gregorious]? Dee replaced Derek beautifully. Hit back-to-back 20 home run seasons. Played a great shortstop. Nobody ever talked about Derek being gone when Dee was playing shortstop.”
Anthony Volpe is receiving a ton of support despite struggles
CC Sabathia is not the only one who has Anthony Volpe’s back. Bronx Bombers’ manager Aaron Boone also has faith in his young slugger, saying he is far better than the numbers give him credit for, via The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner.
“First of all, he’s a more productive offensive player than he gets credit for.”
Hopefully, Volpe can bounce back and get some of his confidence back as the regular season dwindles. If the Yankees want to make a strong push this final month, they are going to need all hands on deck.
