Unpopular Yankees Utility-Turned-Shortstop Player Reveals the Difficulty of Playing Legend Derek Jeter’s Position

The shortstop position is iconic in New York Yankees’ lore. For two decades Derek Jeter manned that spot in the infield for the Yankees, leaving behind a rich legacy. Since then, the Yankees have struggled to find a long-term solution. But with Anthony Volpe, the Pinstripes might have found their solution. While Volpe has taken up the SS position from this year only, it was Isiah Kiner-Falefa who played shortstop last season. And as his stat suggests, the Yankees’ utility player failed big time to embrace the SS position in 2022. Recently, IKF opened up about how difficult it was to play shortstop for the Pinstripes.

Before IKF, Didi Gregorius also played a couple of good seasons at shortstop for the Bronx Bombers. But even he fizzled out and left the team. This recent candid revelation from IKF sheds light on the difficult task that Jeter has left behind.

New York Yankees’ Isiah Kiner-Falefa says playing Derek Jeter’s position is difficult

Filling Derek Jeter’s shoes was always going to be a difficult task. It is hard to put into words the impact that he had on the Yankees’ organization at shortstop. Most recently, Isiah Kiner-Falefa revealed the difficulty of playing in Jeter’s position. He said that shortstop is an important role for Yankees fans. IKF also mentioned that Jeter set a high benchmark for his successors. The utility player shared this while speaking to The Athletic. 

According to The Athletic, Kiner-Falefa said, “It’s a big position for all baseball fans because of Jeter. That’s where you want your numbers to be and that’s what’s expected of you. If you’re not able to get to that level — it’s a very important position in the city and on this team. I just feel like you have to be around what he did, and that’s just how it is.” 

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IKF further said that he was not able to live up to the expectations of a Yankees’ shortstop. But he feels that he did ok, but not up to the standard of a Bombers shortstop. Now Anthony Volpe is in the position and although he has had some hype surrounding him, there is concern mounting over his performance.

Anthony Volpe has drawn some concern

Anthony Volpe has shown considerable potential in his rookie season thus far. He has smashed 10 home runs with a batting average hovering around the .200 mark. But fans have shown some concern over some of his recent games. The 22-year-old has had some poor games in terms of batting as well as fielding. There were rumors of him going back to the Minor Leagues, but team owner Hal Steinbrenner shut them down. It will be interesting to see how he adapts to the situation as the year progresses. 

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Isiah Kiner-Falefa spoke candidly about playing shortstop for the New York Yankees. He gave a look into the struggles that players in Derek Jeter’s position face. What do you think about his honest thoughts?