| Luke Voit | |
|---|---|
 Voit with the New York Yankees in 2019 | |
| Olmecas de Tabasco – No. 45 | |
| First baseman | |
| Born: (1991-02-13)February 13, 1991 (age 34) Wildwood, Missouri, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 25, 2017, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics (through 2023 season) | |
| Batting average | .253 |
| Home runs | 95 |
| Runs batted in | 276 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Louis Linwood Voit III (born February 13, 1991) is an American professionalbaseballfirst baseman for theOlmecas de Tabasco of theMexican League. He has previously played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theNew York Yankees,St. Louis Cardinals,San Diego Padres,Washington Nationals, andMilwaukee Brewers.
Voit playedcollege baseball for theMissouri State Bears and made his MLB debut in 2017 with the Cardinals. He played for them in 2018 before being traded to the Yankees during the season. By 2019, he became the Yankees' starting first baseman and in 2020, he led MLB inhome runs. In August 2022, Voit was traded with several prospects to the Washington Nationals forJuan Soto andJosh Bell. He signed with the Brewers for the 2023 season.
Voit attendedLafayette High School inWildwood, Missouri. He played for Lafayette'sbaseball team as afirst baseman andthird baseman in his first three years, and as acatcher in his senior year. He also played on theirfootball team as afullback andmiddle linebacker.[1]
Voit received interest fromNCAA Division I teams as a football player, but shoulder injuries ended his football career. TheKansas City Royals selected Voit in the 32nd round of the2009 Major League Baseball draft, but he did not sign. Voit attendedMissouri State University, where he playedcollege baseball for theMissouri State Bears for four years.[1]
In 2011, Voit playedcollegiate summer baseball with theHarwich Mariners of theCape Cod Baseball League, and was named a league all-star.[2] In 2012, his junior season, hebatted .298 with sixhome runs and 46runs batted in (RBIs) in 62 games. However, he tore the labrum in his right shoulder and went unselected in the2012 MLB draft.[3] As a senior in 2013, he played in 54 games, hitting .299 with two home runs and 30 RBIs. After his senior year, theSt. Louis Cardinals selected Voit in the 22nd round of the2013 Major League Baseball draft.[4]
Voit started his professional career as a catcher with theState College Spikes of theLow–ANew York-Penn League. He spent all of 2013 there,batting .242 with twohome runs and 16runs batted in (RBIs) in 46games played. He moved to first base in 2014 and played that season with thePalm Beach Cardinals of theHigh–AFlorida State League,[5] where he batted .276 with nine home runs and 51 RBIs in 93 games. He returned to Palm Beach in 2015, compiling a .273 batting average with 11 home runs and 77 RBIs in 130 games. Voit spent 2016 with theSpringfield Cardinals of theDouble–ATexas League, where he slashed .297/.372/.477 with 19 home runs and 74 RBIs in 134 games.[6] Voit started 2017 with theMemphis Redbirds of theTriple–APacific Coast League.[7][8][9]
On June 25, 2017, the Cardinals promoted Voit to the major leagues.[10] In 70 games for Memphis prior to his promotion, he was batting .322 with 12 home runs and 48 RBIs.[11]
He debuted against thePittsburgh Pirates on the same night of his call-up and reached base after being hit by a pitch.[12] Voit started the next day against theCincinnati Reds and doubled off ofAustin Brice for his first major league hit in an 8–2 win.[13] On July 3, he hit his first major leaguehome run.[14] In 114at-bats for St. Louis in 2017, Voit batted .246 with four home runs, 18 RBIs, and a .736 OPS (on-base plus slugging).[15]
On July 27, 2018, the Cardinals traded Voit, along with bonus pool money, to theNew York Yankees forChasen Shreve andGiovanny Gallegos.[16] The Yankees assigned Voit to theScranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Class AAAInternational League and promoted him to the major leagues on August 2.[17] After he batted 3-for-16 (.188) in five games, the Yankees sent Voit back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on August 13.[1][18] In his next seven games with the RailRiders, Voit batted 8-for-22 (.364).[1] AfterDidi Gregorius was placed on the 10-daydisabled list on August 21, Voit was called back up.[19]
Voit took over the Yankees starting first baseman job fromGreg Bird. He hit his tenth home run for the Yankees on September 20, becoming the twelfth player on the Yankees to hit 10 home runs during 2018. When Voit reached the 10-homer mark, the Yankees set a new major league team record for most players on one team with 10 or more home runs in a season.[20][21] Voit was namedAmerican League's (AL)Player of the Week on October 1 after hitting .458 with three home runs and eight runs batted in during the previous week.[22] In 2018, Voit batted .333 with 14 home runs, 33 RBIs and a 1.095 OPS (on base plus slugging) in 39 games for the Yankees.[23]
Voit started at first base for the Yankees in the2018 AL Wild Card Game. In the sixth inning, he hit a two-run triple off ofBlake Treinen (the first triple of his career) to help the Yankees win, 7-2.[24][25]
On April 29, 2019, Voit was named the AL Player of the Week, after hitting .433 with 13 hits, four home runs and 10 RBIs for the previous week.[26] He went on the injured list with an abdominal injury on June 29 and was activated on August 29.[27] In 2019, Voit batted .263/.378/.464. He made contact with the lowest percentage of pitches he swung at outside the strike zone (44.2%) of all major leaguers.[28] After the season, Voit underwent bilateral core muscle surgery.[29]
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After the signing ofGerrit Cole, Voit announced on Twitter he would change his number from No. 45 to No 59, in honor of his brother, so that Cole could wear No. 45.[30]
Voit was the starting first baseman for the Yankees on Opening Day 2020. He hit his first career major league grand slam on July 30, 2020, in the Yankees' 8-6 win over Baltimore.[31] On September 17, Voit hit his 20th home run of the season in the Yankees' 50th game, making him just the third player in franchise history to reach 20 home runs in the team's first 50 games afterBabe Ruth andMickey Mantle. Voit's home run also came in the same inning that the Yankees hit five home runs, setting a new franchise record and tying a major league record.[32]
Voit ended the season with 22 home runs, leading the major leagues. He and Yankees teammateDJ LeMahieu, who led MLB with a .364 average, became the first pair of teammates to lead MLB in home runs and batting average since 1959.[33]
On March 27, 2021, it was announced that Voit had torn his meniscus in one of his knees and required surgery. He began the 2021 season on the 10-day injured list.[34] After a rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre, Voit was activated on May 11, 2021. On June 23, Voit hit his first career walk-off hit, an RBI single that scoredTyler Wade to beat theKansas City Royals 6–5.
On July 6, Voit had his first career five-hit game, going 5-for-6 with four singles, a double, three RBIs and scoring a run during a 12–1 win against theSeattle Mariners.[35] Voit continued to be limited by injuries, leading the Yankees to acquire first basemanAnthony Rizzo at the 2021 trade deadline.[36] Voit appeared in 68 games during the 2021 season, hitting 11 home runs in 213at bats.[37]
Days after the Yankees re-signed Rizzo,[37] the Yankees traded Voit to theSan Diego Padres forJustin Lange on March 18, 2022.[38][39][40] On April 19, 2022, after he collided withTommy Pham's teammateTyler Stephenson at home plate while unsuccessfully trying to score, Pham offered to fight Voit.[41]
On August 2, 2022, the Padres traded Voit,CJ Abrams,MacKenzie Gore,Robert Hassell III,James Wood, andJarlín Susana to theWashington Nationals in exchange forJuan Soto andJosh Bell. The trade originally hadEric Hosmer go to the Nationals instead of Voit, but Hosmer invoked his no-trade clause, and Voit was traded to Washington instead.[42]
In 2022, Voit batted .226/.308/.402 with 179 strikeouts in 500 at bats, had the highest swinging strike percentage in the majors at 18.7%, had the lowest contact percentage with pitches thrown to him of all major leaguers at 64.0%, and when swinging at pitches outside the strike zone he made contact 46.1% of the time, the lowest percentage in the major leagues.[43]
On November 18, Voit was non-tendered and became a free agent.[44]
On February 21, 2023, Voit signed a one year minor league contract with theMilwaukee Brewers organization with an invitation to their spring training.[45] After he opted out of his contract and became a free agent,[46] Voit signed a one-year major league contract with the Brewers.[47] Voit batted .221/.284/.265 with no home runs and 4 RBI in 22 games for Milwaukee before he was placed on the injured list with a strained neck on May 15.[48] He was activated from the injured list on May 29 and subsequently designated for assignment.[49] Voit was released by Milwaukee on June 2.[50]
On June 12, 2023, Voit signed a minor league contract with theNew York Mets organization.[51] In 37 games for the Triple–ASyracuse Mets, he batted .264/.415/.643 with 14 home runs and 35 RBI. On August 3, Voit was released by New York.[52]
Voit re-signed with the Mets on another minor league contract on February 19, 2024.[53] He was once more released by the Mets on March 26.[54]
On April 28, 2024, Voit signed with theOlmecas de Tabasco of theMexican League.[55] In 81 appearances for Tabasco, he batted .270/.391/.554 with 23 home runs and 57 RBI.
Voit became engaged to Victoria Rigman in October 2017, and they married in 2018. Their daughter was born in 2021.[56] His younger brother, John, playeddefensive tackle for theArmy Black Knights football team.[1]
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