There’s gonna be a lot to like with Luke Voit, but it’s fair to get out of the way upfront the issues. The Yankees haven’t fully committed to him. Aaron Boone said Voit “has a leg up” on the 1st base job for 2019. That sounds positive, but if Boone was watching a dog pee on a fire hydrant while saying this, then it might be a negative. My guess is Boone wasn’t watching Animal Planet, and it’s good news. Well, relatively good. It says a lot about the Yankees that they’re not just handing Voit the job. On the other hand (were we weighing options on hands?), the Yankees did give Greg Bird so many chances to win the 1st base job. Since we’re using our hands anyway, I’m going to count on my fingers, and say Bird was given three seasons to win the job, and the third finger in is the middle finger, which is appropriate for flipping the Bird. So, the Yankees don’t need a ‘big’ name at 1st base. Now that Bird’s flew the coop, and is likely headed to being a throw-in a trade, the Yankees don’t have any immediate other obvious option, besides Voit. So, Cashman has proven he will give the 1st base job to someone as unhearlded previously as Voit, and the Yankees should also know from this past season, they can win a lot of games with Voit as the 1st baseman. Pitching is more of a real baseball team need, than 1st base. So, what can we expect from Luke Voit for 2019 fantasy baseball and what makes him a sleeper?
There’s a Yankees’ tax hike on players in drafts, but Luke Voit still seems to be going late enough because there’s an element to him that people aren’t sure if they trust him to repeat.
My brain:
*don’t say it*
*don’t say it*
*don’t say it*
*don’t say it*
*don’t say it*
*don’t say it*
*don’t say it*
Me: Is he Fluke Voit?
Well, his numbers last year were otherworldy. Prepare to have jazz hands on your brain. For Hard Contact%, he had 47%, that would’ve been top 15 in the majors if he qualified, above Yelich and Just Dong. He was number one for barrels per plate appearance. His 20 barrels were more than Michale Brantley, Segura, Markakis and Schoop in hundreds of fewer plate appearances. Barrels-schmarrels, his average exit velocity was top 11 and his percentage of 95+ MPH hits was 4th in the majors. He hit .322, which was goofy high due to a .365 BABIP, but, if you hit the ball hard, good things will, and often do, happen. His strikeouts weren’t even that high (26.7%) and, if his minor league track record is any indication, they can come down. So, no, he won’t hit .322 again, but might not hit below .265 either. Saying his 40.5% HR/FB is on the high side is like saying Snoop Dogg is on the high side. No dur. His 37% fly ball rate was a tad low for him, and I think he can get over 40%. A few more fly balls can offset his home run per fly ball coming down, and not Offset like he’s going to beg Cardi B to get back with him. There is a bit to his previous year’s numbers that says he was in a hot streak, and won’t be for the entire 2019 season, but is this just Maas Appeal? I don’t think so. He walks, he doesn’t strikeout that much, he hits the ball hard and gets it in the air. That’s more of a recipe for success than anything Greg Bird ever read in Barefoot Contessa’s cookbook, “Barefoot with Jeffrey,” and Bird had plenty of chances. I think Voit gets his chance, and connects. With 1st base suddenly a wasteland of aging players, Voit’s got big-time sleeper allure. For 2019, I’ll give Luke Voit the projections of 72/29/88/.268/1 in 509 ABs with a chance for more.
