For a team with championship aspirations, the Yankees are learning the hard way that elite defense only takes you so far. Offense wins in October — and right now, New York isn’t getting nearly enough from two of its most important players.
Both Anthony Volpe and Jazz Chisholm Jr. are playing Gold Glove-caliber defense, but their bats have been ice cold, and it’s starting to drag the entire offense into dangerous territory.
Jazz Chisholm: Power or Bust Right Now
Chisholm did manage to work two walks and drive in a run during Tuesday’s loss to the Cleveland Guardians, but the rest of his night was more of the same — another hitless outing for the Yankees’ star infielder.
He’s now slashing .159/.265/.420 through the first month of the season, and outside of a few loud home runs, there hasn’t been much consistency at the plate. The power is clearly there — he ranks in the 91st percentile in barrel percentage — but that doesn’t mean much when you’re whiffing at everything else.
His whiff percentage (8th percentile) and strikeout rate (9th percentile) paint an ugly picture of a player simply not putting the ball in play enough. With runners in scoring position, Chisholm is hitting a measly .161, and when you’re being relied upon as a top-half-of-the-lineup spark plug, that just won’t cut it.
Anthony Volpe’s Cold Streak Slowing Down His Momentum
Volpe, on the other hand, is coming back to Earth after a promising start to the year. He’s hitting just .209/.310/.407 and striking out in over 27 percent of his plate appearances.
The early numbers propped him up — he’s still holding a 110 wRC+ — but that’s quickly fading as his bat goes cold. His chase rate remains impressive, and he’s showing a bit more patience, but much like Chisholm, the contact quality isn’t backing it up. He’s whiffing in the 25th percentile, which is leading to far too many empty at-bats.
At this point, Volpe is more of a flash-in-the-pan threat than a reliable contributor. His glove keeps him on the field, but his bat has been a liability as of late.
Defense Can’t Carry the Weight of Yankees’ Slumping Bats
The irony is that both Volpe and Chisholm have been phenomenal defensively, providing range, instincts, and highlight-reel plays that save runs on a nightly basis. But Major League Baseball isn’t the NFL. You don’t win with defense alone — not when you’re facing elite arms in tight postseason games.
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Pitching staffs are too good to allow empty bats to linger for long. If the Yankees want to make a serious run, they’ll need Chisholm and Volpe to step up and produce — not just play defense and hope Judge hits a three-run homer every night. Right now, they’re getting dragged toward the basement, and the rest of the lineup is paying the price.