Viral Anthony Volpe moment should have Yankees more thankful for George Lombard Jr.

The bizarre world of fandom had weirdos on social media at each other's throats after Anthony Volpe was demoted in favor of top prospect George Lombard Jr. The Yankees, objectively, made the correct decision, but this topic pretty much represents the state of Florida every election cycle. The vote is 51-49 every single time, no matter the candidates or talking points.

Lombard Jr. has quickly become a savior for the Yankees with his sterling defense and electric bat. He's made a number of highlight-reel plays and is hitting .320 with a .953 OPS in his first 28 plate appearances. Everyone's aware that won't last forever, but most can admit the play and approach are night and day compared to Volpe.

In the aftermath, Yankees insider Joel Sherman even said Volpe was never really cut out to be a starter at shortstop. The organization's decision making ultimately failed the former No. 1 prospect, and it just is what it is at this point.

On the other hand ... Volpe, who is eternally under a microscope, typically fails to help his own case. Right now, he's at Triple-A getting some reps at second base to improve his versatility. There should be little attention paid to what he's doing right now, especially with the Yankees winning back-to-back series as the Red Sox drop five straight games.

But in his first game back in the minors, Volpe made an ugly error (which came after three days off). Then, on Wednesday night, he lost both of his team's challenges after the first SIX pitches of the game.

Anthony Volpe's minor league gaffe with Yankees would've been viral for any minor leaguer

Think this is some sort of witch hunt to keep bringing Volpe down? Sometimes it admittedly feels that way. But this is not that. This is egregious on so many levels. He's been in the big leagues for more than three seasons, and something like this is unacceptable. And to laugh afterwards? What is funny about this?

Meanwhile, Lombard Jr. is confidently challenging Chris Sale pitches, spitting on them as they were overturned, and taking a walk before his first week in the big leagues was complete.

The truth of the matter is that it's legitimately upsetting with how the Yankees tried to force Volpe into a role that never seemed like a fit. For over three years, they refused to play him at another position to test his versatility and see if he'd be a better fit at second base. For the first two and a half years of his career, they refused to bench him after horrid slumps or give him a day of rest. The team protested the media whenever anybody asked tough questions about him.

Now, it's Volpe paying the price as he's back in Scranton, PA just a few years after starting at shortstop for the Yankees in the World Series. Even Volpe detractors cannot believe how this has transpired, and Wednesday was another reminder of how out of hand it's gotten.

Lombard Jr. has helped fuel the Yankees after the trade deadline and has only provided highlight-reel clips to make Yankees haters jealous. Isn't it easy to see how such a small change can pay massive dividends and prevent unthinkable headaches?

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow