Anthony Volpe gets it, holding himself accountable for key error

MINNEAPOLIS — Almost from the time he set foot in the Yankees’ clubhouse at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa for his first big-league spring training, Anthony Volpe fit in.

The Yankees’ clubhouse generally has been a welcoming place for rookies the last two decades-plus, with veteran leaders ranging from Derek Jeter to CC Sabathia to Brett Gardner to Aaron Judge making sure younger players instantly feel a part of the team.  

Volpe passed another test Sunday after committing a key error in a 5-1 loss to the Blue Jays.  He stood and faced the proverbial music, answering questions about the one-out grounder off the bat of George Springer that he booted, which led to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. getting an at-bat he might not have gotten. Guerrero made the Yankees pay, hitting a two-out,  two-run homer off Clarke Schmidt that snapped a scoreless tie. Two pitches later, Daulton Varsho also homered.

“Gotta make the play,” Volpe said. “That’s on me. We should be off the field there easily.”

It was not a surprise that the shortstop, who will turn 22 on Friday, talked about the error. Volpe has been so accessible to the media — the only player  interviewed more during spring training was Judge, and it was a photo finish between the two — that behind the scenes, he has been counseled that is not only OK but imperative to say “no” once in a while.

Sunday was not one of those times, however.

It has long been a tenet of the Yankees' clubhouse that anyone who contributes in a negative way to a game, especially in a loss, must answer questions about it. It falls under the umbrella of accountability discussed so much in the sport.

And while reporters too often make the story about themselves when a player blows them off, it has nothing to do with inconveniencing the media,  at least insofar as players are concerned.  As Jorge Posada said years ago, if a player makes a critical mistake and doesn’t take questions, that player is being a bad teammate.

Media members are in the clubhouse regardless after a game, and a player not speaking means other players have to provide cover in fielding questions the offending player should be answering. That is drilled into players from the time they join the organization — whether drafted into it,  traded into it or signed into it.

Players hear it every spring training during the media training sessions — which include a video that has examples, good and bad, of interactions with the media from across the sports spectrum — overseen by Jason Zillo, the club’s longtime vice president of communications and media relations. But ultimately, it is policed by the players.

And so when setup man Rafael Soriano blew a game against the Twins on April 5, 2011, and no-showed afterward in the clubhouse, it was future Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera pulling him aside and sending this message, more or less: “We don’t do that here.”

The next high-profile media dodge came years later, this time by Clint Frazier. The one-time can’t-miss prospect misplayed three balls in a loss to the Red Sox on June 2, 2019, then declined to speak afterward. Frazier, who already had rubbed many of his teammates the wrong way because of a perceived lack of maturity, which included an obsession with social media, did himself no favors two days later in Toronto when he did talk.

“I don’t regret it,” Frazier said. “And to be fair, I don’t think I owe anyone an explanation because it’s not a rule that I have to speak.”

After the Boston game, his teammates had to answer questions they felt he should have been answering. Digging in as he did made things worse for Frazier in his own clubhouse. 

“Look, part of being a big-league player and certainly part of playing here is we want our guys to always respond when you play a specific role in a ballgame,” Aaron Boone —  who was among a group (which included teammates) who offered advice to Frazier that went ignored — said then. “And that’s part of being a pro and being a big-league ballplayer and being a New York Yankee.”