Max Fried may be the de facto ace of the New York Yankees now that Gerrit Cole is out for the season, but that doesn't mean his every start gets everyone hyped up. Anthony Volpe has a complaint, even if it's mostly joking.
"It's fun," Volpe said with a smile. "But sometimes boring."
That's the price of having an efficient ground-ball pitcher.
In his first season with the Yankees, after signing a record $218 million deal, Fried has delivered exactly what the Yankees needed. After beating the Royals Tuesday night, he has posted a 1.88 ERA over 24 innings through his first four starts with the Yankees. He's struck out 28, walked just five, and allowed only five earned runs total.
For a shortstop like Volpe, with Fried dominating, that means a lot of routine innings.
Even Volpe can appreciate that Fried works fast. He fills up the zone. He pitches to weak contact and misses bats when he needs to. And when the defense is involved, it's usually minimal.
That's every manager's dream.
Volpe's comment came with a grin and a giggle.
The Yankees' ace is making life easier on everyone around him. His early-season form is part of the reason the Yankees have been able to weather injuries to Cole and Luis Gil and inconsistency in the rest of the rotation.
For all the offensive power on the Yankees roster, it might be their calmest, most boring arm that's setting the tone.
And if that means Volpe gets a few quiet innings at short, he'll just have to deal with it.
