From August 11th to August 17th, Luke Voit recorded a hit every night. In that span, the first baseman recorded ten hits, and he capped it on Monday with his first multi-home run game since April of 2019. During that stretch, he posted a .370/.433/.741 slash line.
This hot hitting earned Voit a promotion. In the opening game of a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays, Voit found himself at the top of the lineup.
With DJ LeMahieu, the usual leadoff hitter for the New York Yankees, injured, manager Aaron Boone approached his power hitting infielder after toying with the idea in 2019.
“It was actually something I talked to Luke about on occasion last year,” said Boone. “I mentioned it to him today and he was pretty fired up about it,” said Boone.
Voit echoed those feelings of excitement after the game, but admits he prefers to have LeMahieu healthy.
“It was fun,” said Voit. “I enjoyed it…but I like DJ in that spot a little bit better.”
Boone’s decision came down to matchups. He felt that having Voit at the top of the lineup helped him counter maneuver against a deep Rays bullpen.
Success At the Plate
It is safe to say that Voit was comfortable leading off the game. In his first plate appearance, he made pitcher Blake Snell work, drawing an eight-pitch walk. Although the Yankees ultimately lost this game, Voit made it close. In the bottom of the fifth inning, he sent a 95 MPH fastball from Snell over the left center field wall to make the score 6-3.
The downfall to his night was when he struck out with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. Although he did not come through in that crucial spot, he still walks away with positives, having driven in two of the Yankees three runs on the night while reaching base safely twice.
Boone feels that Voit is a candidate for the spot while LeMahieu recovers from his thumb injury.
“It’s something that’s definitely in play,” said Boone. “Obviously he is swinging the bat really well right now…He’s definitely a candidate to remain in that one-two spot.”
Specifically, Boone likes Voit’s ability to give quality at bats. That was evident in Tuesday’s game by his eight-pitch walk, and he also saw six pitches when he struck out in the seventh inning. Another positive mentioned for Voit is his ability to get on base and slug.
Looking at the Numbers
Although Voit does not fit the description of a typical leadoff hitter, he meets the most important requirement, getting on base. His now eight-game hitting streak is his longest since April of 2019, and he has reached base safely 14 times in that span.
Voit always poses the threat of running into a pitch, and that potential could have significant impact early on in games. Voit falls in the 88th percentile for barrel percentage and the 86th percentile for hard hit percentage. His average exit velocity of 90.7 MPH falls into the 75th percentile. All of these rankings are considered above average or great, according to baseball savant.
Right now, Voit is getting on base at a tremendous clip. Meanwhile, his advanced numbers show that he is hitting the ball hard in the process. Therefore, it is not out of the question that Voit can be a threat to get on base at the top of the lineup while still providing the power to make opposing teams fear an early 1-0 deficit.
It will be big for the Yankees if Voit can bring stability to the top of the lineup with three of their best hitters currently injured in LeMahieu, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
