The foremost league chief in dwelling runs in 2020 was Yankee first baseman Luke Voit. He launched 22 homers in that season, shortened by the pandemic to simply 60 video games. Nobody else in baseball hit greater than 19. He additionally reduce his strikeout fee to 23.1%, just under that yr’s league common, after being at 25% or above in his earlier three seasons. He completed the yr with a batting line of .277/.338/.610 for a wRC+ of 153, indicating he was 53% higher than the league common hitter. That quantity positioned him within the prime 15 amongst all certified hitters that season. He completed ninth within the voting for Most Precious Participant within the American League.
Voit nonetheless had 4 seasons of membership management remaining and it appeared just like the Yankees had first base discovered for years to come back. Nevertheless, Voit has since entered some uneven waters and has been thrown off beam just a few instances. In 2021, he handled knee accidents for a lot of the yr and was solely in a position to play 68 video games. He hit .239/.328/.437 when wholesome sufficient to play, producing a wRC+ of 112. That was 12% above league common however a noticeable drop from his monster 2020 displaying. His strikeout fee additionally climbed as much as 30.7%. The Yankees acquired Anthony Rizzo on the commerce deadline after which re-signed him for 2022, changing Voit on the chilly nook. A couple of days later, Voit was traded to the Padres.
In 2022, he was largely wholesome, making one journey to the injured checklist in late April for a biceps tendon harm however returning simply over two weeks later. Nevertheless, it didn’t lead to higher manufacturing on the plate. In 82 video games for the Friars, Voit launched 13 lengthy balls however struck out in 32% of his appearances. His .225/.317/.416 batting line was above league common however solely by 10%. On the deadline, he had the misfortune of getting thrown into the Juan Soto commerce on the final minute when Eric Hosmer used his restricted no-trade clause to maintain himself out of it.
Voit spent the second half with the Nats, the worst crew in baseball in 2022, and noticed his manufacturing dip. He nonetheless hit one other 9 dwelling runs in simply 53 video games however his stroll fee slipped from 11.3% as a Padre to simply 7.1% as a Nat. His time with Washington resulted in a .228/.295/.381 line and a wRC+ of 90. Voit was set to undergo arbitration for the third of 4 journeys this winter as a Tremendous Two participant, however the Nationals non-tendered him as an alternative of paying him an $8.2MM wage, per projections from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.
Voit has now been a free agent for about six weeks with out a lot noise surrounding his market. There have been no public reviews about any membership having curiosity in signing him. That’s not terribly stunning given his down yr, however there are nonetheless issues he can convey to the desk. His Statcast metrics had been nonetheless robust in 2022, as his barrel fee was within the 94th percentile amongst certified hitters, his arduous hit fee 73rd, most exit velocity seventy fifth and common exit velocity 66th. Although he’s been hanging out approach an excessive amount of previously two seasons, he can nonetheless clobber the ball when he does make contact. It’s additionally attainable he may get a lift from the upcoming bans on excessive defensive alignments, as he was one of many most-shifted hitters among the many remaining free brokers regardless of being right-handed. Voit really has reverse splits for his profession, with a 110 wRC+ towards lefties and a 129 towards righties. That would make platoon preparations tough nevertheless it additionally means he is sensible to be in a lineup regularly.
Sadly, that’s about all he can actually supply. He’s definitely not a burner, together with his dash velocity within the sixth percentile and only a single stolen base on his profession ledger. Defensively, he’s solely performed first base within the huge leagues, aside from a single inning in proper discipline in 2018. All three of Outs Above Common, Defensive Runs Saved and Final Zone Score think about him to have been a below-average defender thus far in his profession. He’ll flip 32 in February and might be unlikely to all of a sudden flip issues round in that division.
There are nonetheless some groups that might take a flier on Voit and hope that he appears extra just like the 2020 model than what he’s proven since. The very best candidate would in all probability be a rebuilding crew that might be hoping to show Voit right into a commerce candidate on the heels of a resurgence. Since Voit has between 4 and 5 years of MLB service time, he is also managed for 2024 through arbitration, probably including to his attraction if he’s in a great groove. The A’s have Seth Brown at first base however he also can play the outfield. The Marlins are identified to be on the lookout for extra offense however have the oft-injured Garrett Cooper as their first baseman in the mean time. They reportedly pursued gamers like José Abreu, Justin Turner and Brandon Drury earlier within the offseason however got here up quick in these makes an attempt. The Tigers will possible give Spencer Torkelson an prolonged run to indicate his horrible 2022 was simply rising pains, however it will make some sense to have a backup plan in place. The Cubs and Orioles are identified to be excited about first base upgrades, having been lately connected to Eric Hosmer.
Although there are many theoretical suits, Voit may even have competitors for these jobs. Along with Hosmer, the free agent market options Trey Mancini, Yuli Gurriel, Brandon Belt, Dominic Smith and others.
