The disrespect of former Yankees 1B Luke Voit has reached its pinnacle

When the New York Yankees acquired Anthony Rizzo at the 2021 trade deadline, it was bittersweet. Rizzo is one of the most decorated first basemen in modern MLB history and brought a left-handed power bat the team needed badly.

On the other hand, however, that marked the official end of Luke Voit's time in the Bronx. The man was a victim of general manager Brian Cashman failing to diversify the lineup with lefties. Really unbelievable when you think about it, since Voit was acquired back in 2018 for Giovanny Gallegos.

Though Voit's Yankees tenure was interrupted by injuries, he was an inimitable personality and spark plug among a lifeless collection of personalities. He also slashed .271/.363/.520 with 167 runs scored, 68 home runs, 182 RBI and a 137 OPS+ across 281 games with the Bombers. He was the home run champ in the shortened 2020 season.

His defense wasn't anything to write home about, but you take the good with the bad. Looking at his offensive numbers alone, you'd surmise Voit is an All-Star-caliber player.

Not if you ask the rest of the baseball world, apparently! After he was traded to the San Diego Padres before the 2022 season, Voit was then dumped in the Juan Soto deal with the Nationals. After hitting 22 home runs and registering a 106 OPS+ across 2022 in those largely unfavorable conditions, Voit couldn't even land a major league contract this offseason; he just signed with the Milwaukee Brewers on a minor-league deal, per FanSided's Robert Murray.

Former Yankees 1B Luke Voit signs with the Milwaukee Brewers

Voit admittedly witnessed a backslide in 2022 (.308 OBP and 179 strikeouts), but should still give Rowdy Tellez a run for his money for the starting job (Tellez isn't good at defense, either!). When you look at the rest of the league's starting first basemen, too, he's (when healthy) either better or on par with guys like Carlos Santana, Eric Hosmer, Garrett Cooper, Ji-Man Choi, Seth Brown, Jose Miranda and CJ Cron.

Had a meniscus tear not partially derailed his 2021 season with the Yankees (or if the Yankees simply integrated him into the lineup alongside Rizzo, which they could've done easily), Voit is probably a starting first basemen somewhere at the moment and wouldn't have been treated like spare parts when he was moved to the Padres.

Not sure what other teams aren't seeing, but Voit is very clearly a clutch hitter, too. Whether you believe in "clutchness" or not, Voit hitting .275 with an .898 OPS with runners in scoring position (24 HR, 180 RBI) and .293 with a .968 OPS with two outs and runners in scoring position (12 HR, 85 RBI) throughout his career tells another story. Nobody wants that?

Baseball is a "what have you done for me lately" sport, though, and Voit's injury-affected 2021 and lackluster 2022 definitely characterized the narrative we're seeing right now. Yankees fans will eternally be rooting for him to prove everybody wrong, and it'd be even better if he displaced Tellez, a former Blue Jay, in the process.