Brian Cashman's contentious 2023 Anthony Volpe rant is all-time Yankees embarrassment

After the New York Yankees missed the 2023 playoffs and put together their worst season in 30 years, Brian Cashman was armed and ready to defend himself, his front office, and their "process" when he was set to face reporters at the annual GM Meetings.

Clearly, he was sick of listening to the critical media and the unrelenting fans. We get it. It has to be insufferable to an extent. That said, it comes with the territory. You are calling the shots for one of the most recognizable sports franchises on the planet. Nobody is going to feel bad for you.

But the real problem with Cashman's defensive nature at the time was the blatant disregard for the truth. What fans witnessed that year was truly heinous. That season, only Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres registered above-average OPS+ marks. Torres batted .273, Judge batted .267 (and missed 55 games), and everybody else was below .245. The defense was putrid. Willie Calhoun was the starting DH at some point. Jake Bauers was an everyday outfielder. Anthony Rizzo was playing with brain damage. We could go on. It was baseball malpractice at its finest.

Even worse, however, was the blind and unwavering support for Anthony Volpe, who, despite a 20-20 season, hit .209/.283/.383 with an 81 OPS+. It was painful to watch. The rookie played in 159 games and was never benched or given rest during some of the worst slumps you've ever seen. This, mind you, came after he was promoted following just 22 games at Triple-A.

Fans and media were rightfully questioning why Volpe earned this treatment. Were they harsh in the overall assessment? Sure. It was the kid's first season ever. But everybody was mostly frustrated with the team and how they handled him rather than how Volpe performed.

Cashman went scorched earth on any critique about Volpe and how the team went about his debut season, and called out reporters to the point where he demanded credit from all the naysayers when Volpe eventually turned it around.

Brian Cashman's rant on Anthony Volpe has Yankees fans pulling out receipts

And here we are in Year 3 as Volpe is getting worse on both sides of the ball. In 2024, Volpe played in 160 games and produced almost identical results (but somehow saw a notable power decrease). He was given no days off. He was afforded as much time as he needed to work through slumps that would've gotten almost any other player time on the bench.

Come 2025, the offensive numbers look better on paper, but the results very much feel the same (or worse). He's still whiffing at 94 MPH center-cut fastballs. He's batting .204 with runners in scoring position and .163 with RISP and two outs. The last few weeks, he has absolutely murdered rallies or momentum-shifting moments with untimely strikeouts and double-play groundouts.

Worst of all, though, is his defense. Volpe leads the league with 11 errors at his position through 84 games, and the failures are being masked under the guise of "aggressiveness". Fans have watched Volpe for years. Nobody would necessarily characterize him as a dare devil defender who makes plays at any cost. Does he have good range? Sure. Is he athletic? Yes. But his instincts are lacking. He makes bad reads on what should be relatively routine plays for a "star" shortstop. And he's throwing the ball around the infield with callous disregard, in the name of "making a play."

Meanwhile, opponents are taking the extra base with ease, scoring extra runs to put the Yankees in a bad position, or being awarded first base on a play that should be an out. Fans know what they're watching. Volpe is a young player completely drowning in his development, and the Yankees are to blame with how they handed him the keys to the most important position on the field despite him not being ready, and then ignorantly standing by their decision as they turn a blind eye to the problems directly in front of their face. Cashman's 2023 rant aged incredibly poorly, turning into lumpy, sour milk in 2024. Now? It's festering into a virus that could threaten to eradicate earth's population.

And their refusal to admit any wrongdoing is likely a result of their choice to pass on other star players as they began carving a path for Volpe's arrival back in 2021 — when he was 20 years old and completed just 55 games at High-A. The Yankees and Volpe no longer have a leg to stand on, regardless of what they think.