Yankees Luke Voit: Who is he and what happens to Greg Bird now?

Just when the Yankees needed a live bat at first base, Luke Voit came out of nowhere and has provided a needed lift for the team. But who is Luke Voit, and what happens to Greg Bird now?

Luke Voit, a new addition to the New York Yankees, is 27-years-old, plays first base, and bats and throws right-handed. He grew up in Wildwood, Missouri where he attended Lafayette High School.

The Kansas City Royals drafted him in the 32^nd round of the 2009 MLB Draft. He decided not to sign with the Royals and, instead, attended Missouri State University and played college baseball there. The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Voit after his senior year in college in the 22^nd round of the 2013 MLB Draft.

He began his professional baseball career as a catcher and spent the 2013 season with the State College Spikes. In 2014 he transitioned to first base and played for the Palm Beach Cardinals. He also played for Palm Beach in 2015.

Voit then spent 2016 with the Springfield Cardinals and started 2017 with the Memphis Redbirds. The St. Louis Cardinals brought him up to the big leagues on June 25, 2017.

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A review of Voit’s minor league statistics reveals that he has continued to improve his batting average, home run total, and run production each year; undoubtedly a good sign. In 70 games played for Memphis, just prior to his promotion, he was batting an impressive .322 with 12 home runs and 48 RBIs. In a total of 125 at-bats for the Cardinals, he hit .240 with five home runs, 21 RBIs, and a .739 OPS.

The Cardinals probably thought that Voit wasn’t ready for the majors, at least not just yet. Thus, on July 28, 2018, he was traded to the Yankees for Chasen Shreve and Giovanny Gallegos. The Yanks also received valuable International bonus pool money.

The club immediately turned around and used the money to help sign talented right-handed pitcher Osiel Rodriguez, who was ranked by MLB Pipeline as the ninth-best prospect in the current international group. Thus, the trade also set the stage for the Yankees to acquire an outstanding international pitching prospect. Very clever.

How has Voit performed since the trade took place just over one month ago?

Voit was first immediately to Triple-A by the Yankees. He was called up to the big leagues several days after his trade and was only 3-for-16 in five games. As a result, he was sent back to Triple-A.

Voit quickly caught on fire; he hit .364 (8-for-22) in his first seven minor league games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He was again called-up towards the end of July.

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound stud from Wildwood, Missouri has quickly made the most of his opportunity with a .379 batting average, three home runs, and nine RBIs in 29 at-bats in only 10 games as a Yankee. Clearly, his hits have significantly contributed to the recent surge by the Yankees and the team’s effort to catch the Red Sox and avoid the Wild Card playoff game.

Meanwhile, Greg Bird has been sitting on the bench with a season average (.199) just below the Mendoza Line watching all this unfold in front of his eyes.

So, what happens to Bird now?

Normally, I would argue that the Yankees should platoon both Bird and Voit based on whether a left or right-handed pitcher is on the mound on a given day. Both are equally good fielders, so the team would not be sacrificing any defense with either one playing first base.

However, if Voit continues to hit the way he has, then the team would be crazy not to make him the regular first baseman. Adding another solid bat to the everyday lineup would be huge for the team. The Yanks could still use Bird in particular pinch-hitting situations.

At this point, my gut feeling is that Voit will indeed keep hitting. He may not be able to remain as hot as he has been, but his steady improvement in the minor leagues suggests that he is now ready for prime time. The Cardinals may have allowed a terrific player to get away.

At the same time, Bird has not shown much improvement. What I have been politely calling “a slump” now seems to be his normal base of performance. Just when he starts hitting and seems to be turning the tide, he quickly falls back into experiencing difficulties at the plate. Periods of poor hitting, as we have seen, last much longer than the few and far between occasional periods of excellent hitting.

The dog days of September are almost upon us, and the finish line is now a lot clearer in sight. The Yankees need all the help they can get. While they have made up significant ground on the Red Sox (they are 6.5 games out of first place as of today), it is doubtful that the Red Sox are going to completely fold and allow the Yanks to easily walk away with the American League East Division title.

If Voit continues to hit well, then he should be made the everyday first baseman. If this doesn’t happen, then platooning both him and Bird is the way to go in my view.