New York Yankees first baseman Luke Voit had struggled a bit as of late, but it seems as if he is starting to break out of his slump.
Satisfying is an understatement. We aren’t satisfied with the weather as of late, but the Yankees being able to take two out of a three-game set in Tampa is something to be proud of. Timely hitting has been the root cause of the success, something we did not see in the 2018 season. As the season goes, the reliance on the power hitting has started to decrease, and small-ball has come into play.
While the Yankees and their fans should be excited about their mini-road trip series win, something seems a little off. Our beloved Luke Voit has seen his recent struggles start to take a turn. While he was 0-for-4 in the first game of the doubleheader, he was able to bounce back nicely and avoid an 0-for-22 skid. A signature 3-for-4 night with an RBI should do wonders for Voit’s confidence. With a couple of missile shot hits, he was able to spray the ball in different directions.
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Fans were wondering when we’d see the Luke Voit of old as the San Francisco series seems like it took a place a year ago. Per sports reference, in the 10 games played in May prior to yesterdays doubleheader, he was slashing a .094/.268/.281/.550. Numbers like those do not cut it in the big leagues granted it was only a short stretch, but there should be no reason to panic yet. The organization knows it, and Yankees fans should be aware also, Voit has only started in 77 career games. There is going to be growing pains. It also hasn’t helped that there has been no protection in the lineup with the majority of the starters be injured.
With Aaron Hicks back in the lineup, expect pitchers to ease up on him knowing there is another force in the lineup. For the majority of April, Voit was the consistent run producer the Yankees so desperately needed. Heck, his defense even picked up and he was starting to look like a budding star at the position.
Things can change quickly however; a stretch of unproductive games can drop the batting average immensely early in the season. Boone even decided to give Voit a day off for the last game of the Mariners series. Whether it was rest or just to clear his mind, the organization has seen the recent struggles and would like to help any way it can. As Voit stated after the ladder game of the doubleheader, his teammates kept on encouraging him to keep the same approach and to never lose confidence.
It must be hard for Voit knowing he isn’t producing at the level he expects to. Every time he registers an out, you can see the disgust on his face. He cares so much about helping out this team, how can one not be fired up whenever he rewards the Yankees with his talents.
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Knowing what he is capable of, this is a minor bump in the road for a long journey on the quest for 28. Gio Urshela has been the savior over the past couple of weeks, but he has never gone on a tear Luke Voit is capable of. We all fell in love with the power, gritty at-bats, and the ambitious personality he has displayed since arriving in the Bronx.
Every player endures some type of slump (unless you’re Mike Trout), so there is no reason to give up on a player like Voit. With experience, he will be able to provide Yankees universe with everything he has flashed over the course of his short tenure. Cheers to a 3-for-4 night, and many more RBI’s in the future.