About two weeks ago the Mets brought back everyone’s favorite player who dislikes sleeves – Luke Voit!
Voit was drafted by the Cardinals in 2013 and made his major league debut in 2017. He was traded at the 2018 trade deadline to the Yankees where he made a name for himself. Voit had a solid 2019 campaign slashing .263/.378/.464 (124 OPS+) while hitting 21 home runs. The following season, he led the league with 22 long balls (2020 was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and had 157 OPS+.
Luke Voit. Photo via Buffalo Bisons
The Yankees traded him during spring training in 2022 to the Padres who later traded him in the massive trade for Juan Soto. Voit finished the season with the Nationals and spent time last year in the Brewers and the Mets organization.
The 2020 season saw Luke Voit at the top of a lot of percentile rankings. He was in the 96th percentile for batting run value, 92nd for xwOBA, 81st for xBA and 95th for xSLG.
In 2021 and 2022, Voit was still an average power hitter according to OPS+; 109 and 104, respectively. However, things fell off in 22 games with the Brewers where he slashed .221/.284/.265 (53 OPS+) with no home runs. Strikeouts have always been a concern with Voit and in 2023 he reached a new high, striking out 36.5% of the time. A switch flipped after he signed with the Mets. In Syracuse (Triple-A), he smashed 14 home runs over 37 games hitting .264/.415/.643. At the start of August he opted out of his contract so he could find an opportunity to play on a major league roster.
He’s now back with the Mets competing for a spot on the roster. He’s going to be directly competing with Ji-man Choi for a depth spot as either a designated hitter option or backup first basemen. This competition is probably going to run the length of camp. Unless, Choi or Voit get an opportunity to play on a different team.
So far in spring, Voit is 1-for-13 with five strikeouts. Not an ideal start, that is for sure.
