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PORT CHARLOTTE, FL – Luke Voit was selected at the 22nd edition of the 2013 edition by the Cardinals of St. Louis and has been fighting since the beginning.
When he briefly toured the major leagues in 2017 with St. Louis, he was converted from receiver to first baseman and found himself behind Matt Carpenter and Jose Martinez.
Awarded to the Yankees last summer, Voit 'right-handed bat transformed Greg Bird into a bench player and averaged 333, 14 homers, 33 RBIs and 1,094 OPS in 39 games. It's Voit who made the playoff roster, not Bird.
Even though general manager Brian Cashman said the entry into the spring training as the first base player was a loss, he found himself plunged into a battle with Bird for the position he was probably occupying with the triple-A Scranton / Wilkes-Barre because everyone had minor league options. remaining.
Yet, if Voit reached his goal of showing that last season was not a mirage, it would be very difficult for the Yankees to send him to the miners at the end of spring training.
"I think everyone thinks that last year was probably a stroke of luck," said Voit, who sent a three-point circuit past the thatched roof of a tiki bar located in The center-left Sunday at a 8-5 Yankees victory over the Rays at Charlotte Sports Park in his first appearance of spring training. "But as I said, I will not let anyone else control what he thinks of me. Do the job and be the first Yankees base player. "
See, a day after Bird made his debut in the spring by beating 2-on-2 with a double, also added a RBI single right and performed a game back early.
Voit, who will turn 29 next month, has confidence in his ability to hit and does not hesitate to tell people about it, but not out loud. That's what made last year so satisfying when he had a real chance in the big leagues.
"I've always been a guy who had to fight his way to the big leagues," said Voit, six-foot-three and 255-pound, who played eight games with the Cardinals last season. "I had to make my way up there and not have something like that. I know I can hit, man. I just want to have these bats consistent.
These constant attacks were not available in St. Louis.
"I found myself stuck behind Matt Carpenter and Jose Martinez and they are excellent players," Voit said. "These are business and I get it."
During the off season, Voit traveled to Tampa to work with Field Coach Carlos Mendoza and picked up exercises designed to improve his defense.
"My goal this year is to defend myself night and day," Voit said. "I want to win a gold glove, it's a bit my mood."
Voit has impressed Aaron Boone with his RBI single as well as his home run.
"Go in the opposite direction with a runner in the starting position and a very good bat with a real short, compact [swing], Says Boone. "It was a good start for him."
Boone also noticed Voit's recessed play and said before the match that the defensive work he had done in the winter was paying off.
"We have seen the work he has done so far defensively," Boone said. "He did a good game and the results with the bat were good."
Bird is healthy and his left-handed swing is needed in a Yankees formation that relies heavily on the right. See knows it and it does not bother him at all.
"I'm doing what I can control and I know it's been talked about a lot," Voit said of the first base competition. "Control the bats and the hitting area."
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