"We are not calling Anthony Volpe that" - Yankees fans not buying shortstop's new 'terrible' nickname despite approval from him

MLB: Arizona Diamondbacks at New York Yankees - Source: Imagn — Yankees fans not buying Anthony Volpe's new 'terrible' nickname - Source: Imagn

New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe has made a strong start to the season after an underwhelming year in the Bronx Bombers' run to the World Series in 2024.

The Yankees' use of the viral torpedo bats has been the talking point since their home run surgery against the Milwaukee Brewers, and Anthony Volpe is one of the stars using the custom bat.

The Gold Glove-winning shortstop has already four home runs this season compared to his 12 in the entire campaign last year. His former with the new custom bat has given rise to a new nickname, 'Volpedo.'

Ahead of the Yankees' series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, Meredith Markovits of YES Network asked Volpe if he was in favor of the new nickname. Volpe replied, "In."

Although the Yankees shortstop seemingly game his nod to the nickname, fans didn't agree with his opinion.

"We are not calling him that," wrote a fan.

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"Yea we are not calling him that," another Yankees fan shared the same sentiment.

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"Yikes. That’s terrible," wrote another fan.

The Yankees fans continued to shoot down the nickname.

"Who is calling him that 😭'd be shutting that down asap," wrote a fan.

"I don’t think we should make this a thing," wrote another fan.

"Delete this it’s not hitting like how you thought in your head🤦🏽💀"

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Yankees manager Aaron Boone backs Anthony Volpe after strong start

Although Anthony Volpe didn't live up to the expectations during the regular season in 2024, the young shortstop displayed his qualities in the postseason. He has continued that form this year, becoming the first Yankees shortstop to go deep four times in the first five games of the season.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone discussed the shortstop's performance at the start of the season after a strong spring.

“I think he’s gonna be a good hitter,” Aaron Boone said this week. “We’ve started to see that, and I felt the playoffs was kind of a coming out party for him, and he carried that work into the offseason, honing his swing.

"He’s capable of that. Whether that shows up in a ton of power, I don’t know. I just want him to be a good hitter and I think he’s moving towards that.”

Incidentally, it took Anthony Volpe 36 games to tally four home runs last season. He is .286 with four home runs and nine RBIs this season.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash