The Massachusetts Yankees

The Yankees right now are being carried by two unheralded guys from Massachusetts. Cam Schlittler grew up a Red Sox fan in Walpole, MA. Ben Rice grew up about 45 minutes away, in Cohasset, MA (Rice, though, had to be different and rooted for the hated Yankees). Schlitter was a 7th-round draft pick of the Yankees. Rice was a 12th-rounder.

Wicked good numbers: Cam Schlittler is 6-1 with a 1.35 ERA. The team has gone 8-2 in his 10 starts. Schlittler's walk rate is under 5%. Opposing hitters are batting .168 against him. His ERA+ sits at 316 — roughly three times better than a league-average starter. Ben Rice is hitting .297 with 16 home runs and a 1.068 OPS. Those numbers put him among the most productive offensive players in the majors this year. Coming off a very solid 2025 campaign, Rice’s production doesn’t feel like a fluke.

The contrast: Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells were both first-round picks of the Yankees, in 2019 and 2020 respectively. Wells is hitting .170 this season with a .552 OPS. Volpe, a native of New York City, has struggled mightily on the Yankees since being called up; an injury to José Caballero is the only reason he’s in the major leagues right now. In three seasons in the Bronx, Volpe hasn’t cracked a .700 OPS. Five years ago, Volpe and Wells were predicted to be the anchors of this team. But right now it’s two late-round picks from Massachusetts who lead the team in pitching and hitting.

Bloomberg's Marcus Ashworth wrote plainly recently: "No more reliable safe havens."

After all, the S&P fell over 7% from the February peak. Bonds, even with less risk, are barely keeping pace with inflation.

So-called "diversified" portfolios have gotten hit from multiple directions.

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^{*According to Masterworks data. Investing involves risk. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Important Reg A disclosures: masterworks.com/cd}