The New York Yankees and manager Aaron Boone might be confident at the first base position, but it is possible that there could be unexpected competition.
Last season, when both Luke Voit and Edwin Encarnacion were out of the starting lineup, the Yankees pulled up Mike Ford, who performed well in a limited fashion. Offensively, Ford hit .259 with 12 homers and 25 RBIs over 143 at-bats. Defensively, he had a .985 fielding percentage and three errors over 29 games.
Voit, who was the regular starter for a majority of the season, hit .263 with 21 homers and 62 RBIs over 429 at-bats. His numbers were better than Ford’s, and defensively, he was reliable for the most part. His .989 fielding percentage with seven errors over 83 games was quite good, proving he can be the regular starter for the foreseeable future.
Boone stated this past Wednesday that Voit would likely be the opening day first baseman for the Yankees. He anticipates Luke having a significant role in the upcoming season, and acting is the everyday starter.
“I’m confident that Luke Voit is an impact player for us,” Boone said.
The New York Yankees need a healthy Luke Voit:
The final month of the 2019 season was problematic for the slugger, as a core muscle injury limited his productivity. Ultimately, he required surgery to correct the sports hernia that plagued him later on in the year, but the 28-year-old should be active in a full capacity for the start of the 2020 season.
Despite Voit being the anticipated starter, Ford was efficient in his first season in the major leagues, which should give Boone confidence that he can elevate his game and create some competition. That would be the best-case scenario, as it would only bring out the best in both first basemen. Alternatively, Ford could act the designated hitter along with Miguel Andujar, who’s expected to slot in behind Gio Urshela on the hot corner.