The Yankees have gotten more from first baseman Luke Voit than they realistically could have expected when they acquired him from the Cardinals in July 2018. A 22nd-round pick of the Cardinals in 2013, Voit ultimately managed just 137 plate appearances with the team before it sent him to the Yankees in a swap that has worked out well for both sides. Voit has been quite productive as a member of the Yankees, with whom he has hit .280/.384/.517 in 658 trips to the plate, while reliever Giovanny Gallegos emerged as an integral piece of the Cardinals’ bullpen a year ago. However, despite the good numbers Voit has put up with the Bronx Bombers, he doesn’t necessarily have first base on lockdown heading into the new season. Rather, the team’s “open to other options” there, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News writes. Let’s take a look at who’s in the mix…
- Luke Voit: The 29-year-old slashed a robust .263/.378/.464 with 21 home runs in 510 PA in 2019, his first full campaign as a Yankee, but his production dropped precipitously in the second half. Voit battled sports hernia issues throughout, though he insists those problems are behind him. “I had a bunch of MRIs during the season and I finally saw Dr. Myers, a specialist in Philadelphia, and he told me I tore everything down there,” Voit told Ackert. “I was just like, ‘Wow,’ I didn’t really know it was that bad. I tried to fight through it. I’m a competitor I want to play… the past is the past, but now I’m feeling good and ready to get things rolling.”
- Mike Ford: Voit’s injury troubles last year helped pave the way for the lefty-hitting Ford’s major league debut, and he took full advantage. The 27-year-old batted .259/.350/.559 with prodigious power numbers (.301 ISO, 12 homers) over 163 plate appearances. And Ford didn’t sell out for more power by racking up a lot of strikeouts, as he fanned just 17.2 percent of the time (compared to a 10.4 percent walk rate). Moreover, his swinging-strike rate (8.1) checked in exactly 3 percent better than average, and he was actually far more effective versus same-handed pitchers than righties (albeit during a limited sample of work). The track record in the bigs is still small – even Ford recently said to Brendan Kuty of NJ.com, “Anyone could be good for 160 at-bats” – but he also held his own in Triple-A, where he owns a .274/.364/.514 mark in almost 900 PA.
- Miguel Andujar: An AL Rookie of the Year candidate back in 2018, Andujar fell on hard times last season because of shoulder woes that held him to a mere 12 games. Andujar was the Yankees’ starting third baseman in his first year, but Gio Urshela filled that role with aplomb when he was down last season and is in line to enter 2020 as their starter there. Andujar, 24, could therefore pick up time at first base and in the corner outfield if the Yankees want to keep his bat in the lineup.
Fortunately for the Yankees, they’re not at immediate risk of losing any of these players if they don’t earn MLB roster spots to begin the season. All three have two minor league options apiece remaining, so New York could send any of them to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre if it wants. But they’ve all shown well as big league hitters so far, and the Yankees do have the luxury of deploying a DH. So, regardless of position, Voit, Ford and Andujar could each make a notable impact in the majors this season.
Aplomb, golf clap.
Truthfully I can’t really see Mike ford breaking camp as the starting first basemen over Voit.
you’re nuts. Voit has actually earned 1st base.
Must be why he said he “can’t” see it happening lol
It’s called reading comprehension. Try it sometime.
I’d go with both ford and voit…theres room for both. Andujar starting the year in scranton wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world after missing all of last year. Plus I’d the yanks really want to they could try him out in left and first to see how awful he is there .
I agree, but why not use both especially Ford being a lefty even though he did damage against lefties last yr. I believe the extra man should be a pitcher unless the injury bug hits us again in which we haven’t started out great so far. Pax,Sevy,Hicks still out. Looking forward to getting started.
Yankees will win 110 games no matter who plays first base. Weak division.
And then lose in the playoffs. Fans would start crying like they always do. Hopefully Cole is pirates Cole so I could laugh for the next 9 years.
@MetsFan22 Are you serious? The Mets are the most dysfunctional team in baseball!
Everyone laughs at the Mets! lol
the mets are the laughingstock of the league every season.
I would say it’s the Rockies even before the whole Nolan Arenado debacle.
You’ll be laughing when the Mets make it further than Yankees
Not the last 5 years… it’s been ok. and the next 10 Mets will be better than Yankees…
Yeah, but everybody laughs at yankee fans lol.
1986
Funny
I’m a native New Yorker. Nobody here laughs at the Yankees but we all even Met fans know it’s easy to laugh at the Mets. It’s hard rooting for the Mets as you’re rooting for a team that the name stands for My Entire Team Stinks.
It’s like being a Jets fan which I was cursed with. I get to say from the preseason on Just End The Season.
Anyway since it’s baseball and not football season getting back to the Mets what have they done for their fans lately? When did they last win a World Series? Talk about choke artists they couldn’t even beat the Royals!! I’ve said the Marlins will win a World Series before the Mets do and I stand by that. Unless of course they actually do sell the team completely not just a percentage of it. New ownership is needed.
You’re not a Mets fan lol!! You’re a yankee fan and it’s obvious. Y’all just jealous that we made the WS more recently and will make it before y’all again.
The mets
It must be horrible to have a life so miserable that you are only happy when others fail. I think Cole is terrific and as a baseball fan I hope he performs well. And as a Yankees fan I wish the best for the Mets. Lots of talent over there I hope they have a great year.
The rays would like a word with you along with the middle-of-the-pack Red Sox and Jays…
“weak division”….yeh, you must watch a lot of baseball….
“situation”
The Yanks have quite a few options at their disposal at 1B/DH. I think you ideally want Andujar to take over the job and return to a similar level before last year. The guy I really want to see get some ABs is Tauchman I was impressed with him last season and think he deserves a look at DH without many other lefties in the lineup.
DH? Trot him out in LF and let Stanton DH to hopefully keep him healthy-ish. But I agree on Andujar. I’ve said since his ascension to the bigs he looks like a 1B to me. Kinda a Miggy Cabrera body type. But as I’ve stated I’m not comparing him overall to miggy. Just the fact they started at 3B and needed to move across to 1B because they r valuable bats and not great fielders at 3rd. Once again trolls. Not saying he’s Miggy.
Voit will bench press and then eat whoever tries to take first base away from him.
It’s a positive problem to have when any of those three guys on about 20 other teams would be their starting first baseman. I think it’s Voit’s job to lose as he has longest track record. Anduljar and Tauchman will break camp as an older Gardner will need days off.
Mike Ford starting for 20 teams lol what level of minors?
Its Voit’s job to lose. Ford could make the team as a bench piece if someone gets hurt. Andujar could barely play one position at the Major League level so he likely will need to go to AAA if the Yankees want him to become more versatile.
Andujar most reminds me of Encarnarcion, who started as a 3b for the Reds He needs to be at AAA playing LF or 1B until his “D” is in the same zip code as his bat or he proves he is only a DH.
I think voit is the starting 1b however i think ford sticks around because he is a left handed bat something the yankees need. It makes sense to have andujar start in the minors to make sure first off that he is healthy and 2nd to work on his D/outfield and 1b. Once he does this its better as new york can plug him in where needed or build up trade value
It is such an amazement to see how deep the Evil Empire is, Cashman is a terrific GM in t he at he has strong backups, n kept them all happy too.
Joe Pepitone not still playing first? I guess I need to update my scorecard.
I think it will all play out through spring training. It’s too early to predict. I assume Voit will break camp as the starting first baseman and as others have stayed there are so many options. Hopefully Urshella will force Andujar to a new position since that means he wasn’t a fluke. Tauchman will be an almost everyday outfielder. His defense is too good to sit and he is capable offensively.