While the New York Yankees have dealt with injury blow after injury blow, some of their players have remained healthy and productive for the entire 2020 season, so far. The Tampa Bay Rays have been their kryptonite, especially at home in the Bronx, recently losing all three games. Two weeks ago, when they played at Tropicana Field on the Astroturf, the Yankees lost both Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge.
Without their two primary sluggers, the Yankees had to change the mentality to more contact hitting. However, one of their sluggers, who been able to remain healthy up to this point, has continued to rake.
New York Yankees: The Luke Voit affect
First baseman Luke Voit has 10 home runs on the year, hitting his last on Thursday afternoon in the final game against the Rays in a three-game series. With the Mets contracting several positive COVID-19 tests, the Yankees have been off for the past few days, giving players like Judge plenty of time to rehabilitate and prepare for the restart on Tuesday.
After the sweep against Tampa, Voit carried an insane 184 wRC+ into the expected series against the Mets. Voit has an incredible .696 slugging percentage, which leads all first baseman, and is reminiscent of his 2018 campaign. After being acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals two years ago, Voit has lit the Yankees’ batting order ablaze. His ability to hit the long ball productively and get on base has been apparent. While his defensive attributes lag behind at times, he has consistently developed his game and is now a cemented starter at the position.
Voit is eligible for arbitration in 2021 but is only expected to hit the agency in 2025. This gives the Yankees plenty of time to see what type of consistency he can provide at the position. If he falls off a bit, they can formulate a contingency plan, but at this rate, he seems to be a focal point for the Yankees on both sides of the ball.
He has been a saving grace for the Yankees in the absence of their star players, and while they have still lost the past few games, without him, the Yankees would’ve been blown out. His value to the team is beyond words, and when everybody is healthy and playing well, he fits right into the mix like a perfect puzzle piece.