Take a guess which team finished first in runs scored in 2025. It’s the Yankees! Even though they didn’t make a deep postseason run, they still led the league in home runs, too. So, on the surface, that sounds great. But it comes at a cost.

Compared to last season, New York was much worse at making contact and cashing in runners in scoring position. That might seem like a red flag, but it’s actually a tradeoff they’re comfortable making. The Yankees are clearly built around reaching that magic number of about two homers per game, even if it means sacrificing some situational hitting! However, as Alex Rodriguez has pointed out, though, not every player’s approach fits neatly into that philosophy. And that mismatch is a big reason behind Anthony Volpe’s rough and much-discussed 2025 season.

“And here’s a young man who, in the biggest way, can impact winning, is with his number one tool and his legs. But we’ve taken his legs away. And what I mean by that is here’s a young man who has stolen over 50 bases in the minor leagues. So, I think if you zoom out, it is an organization hitting a philosophy that is absolutely

broken. And until they fix it, I don’t think they win big,” Rodriguez shared his thoughts about Volpe with Brandon Tierney for BT’s final WFAN show in the Middays.

Well, Volpe’s struggles at the plate were impossible to miss in 2025. He hit just .212, struck out 150 times, and his defensive issues were just as loud as he reportedly led the league with 19 errors! Those numbers got most of the attention, and understandably so.

But buried under all of that is one of Volpe’s biggest strengths: his speed. If you remember, in 2023, he showed just how dangerous he could be on the bases. He became only the fourth Yankee in the last 34 years to steal at least seven bases in the team’s first 16 games of a season. That put him in some pretty elite company—Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, and Derek Jeter.

So, at his best, Volpe’s biggest impact has always been with his legs.

However, the issue is that the Yankees seemed determined to mold him into a power hitter to fit their all-or-nothing offensive philosophy. And that approach had consequences. Notably, even when the Yankees were leading the league in home runs in August, they ranked just 17th in hitting with runners in scoring position, 20th in batting average, and 26th in strikeouts.

So, Volpe was right there in the middle of it. Chasing power meant sacrificing contact, and that tradeoff showed up in his rising strikeout numbers.

Now, from Rodriguez’s perspective, Volpe’s rough season says more about the Yankees’ hitting philosophy than it does about Volpe’s actual talent. It wasn’t a lack of skill, but a system that didn’t play to what he does best.

The Yankees have a few more things to improve

Well, it’s not just the Yankees’ hitting philosophy that needs a rethink, but their bullpen deserves just as much scrutiny. Remember last season, how many tight games slipped away because the bullpen couldn’t hold it together?

Fortunately, changes have already started, with MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch reporting that bullpen coach Mike Harkey won’t be back for the 2026 season. But coaching alone wasn’t the biggest issue.

The real problem was how often arms that were supposed to be reliable simply weren’t.

If you remember, the Yankees got underwhelming performances from relievers who were expected to be strengths. That was a major reason the team never fully clicked. For instance, nothing summed up the frustration more than Williams and Weaver failing to meet expectations, finishing with ERAs of 4.79 and 3.62!

And while those two have now jumped ship to the Mets, the story doesn’t end there for the Yankees. They were also beaten out in the race for top closers like Edwin Díaz and Ryan Helsley. Because of that, finding a dependable left-handed closer has suddenly become a top priority. Maybe even more important than trying to reset Anthony Volpe heading into next season.