I have been a fan of Luke Voit since his infectious personality served as a catalyst in what appeared to be a lifeless team in 2018. He pours his heart and soul into the game, but sometimes he does get a little too carried away and even takes too much of risk when he really didn't need to, which has not served him well in recent seasons. Voit took one too many trips to the IL triggering the Yankees to look elsewhere for a big bat and first baseman. Now as 2022 stares Voit and his teammates in the face, will Voit be a Yankee this season?
According to his trainer, Llewellyn “Yo” Murphy, Voit has been putting in some extra work this winter to hopefully keep himself healthy and ready for the season ahead. "Before the lockout, Murphy consulted with the Yankees’ training staff on a plan to strengthen Voit’s foundation and focus on adding lean muscle mass. Voit has also worked with mobility guru Dana Santas, who has ties Eric Cressey, the Yankees’ director of player health and performance," reported NJ.com.
Although Voit led MLB in home runs in the shortened 60-game season in 2020, 2021 had not been kind to the infielder, playing in only 68 games. In 2019, a year after he sparked the Yankees with electricity, he played 118. Voit known for his muscle, has been doing more mobility, agility training along with running to ensure he is lean and in position for a full season of baseball in 2022.
“His conversations are very focused on him really being in a position to stay healthy the whole season, stay strong,” Murphy said. “We all know he has that pop. We know what he can do. But when your body breaks down from the ground up, there’s issues with that. I know he’s really focused on just getting a strong foundation that can just make sure that he’s in a good position for 162 games," reported NJ.com.
The Yankees have been focused on improving their roster, including first base with talks buzzing around Matt Olson and Freddie Freeman. Taking another chance on Voit might not be in their best interest given his track record, but at least he has identified his deficiencies and is addressing them head on. The 31-year-old could also find himself in a trade before the offseason ends, so however you slice it, he needs to get healthy regardless of his future with the Yankees.
Will Voit be a part of the 2022 Yankees? The answer is it depends. It will be interesting to see how the Yankees proceed with their acquisitions once the lockout lifts. There is so much to do and many deficiencies to address. First base is one of them, but perhaps the bigger concern for the team overall is the training. Maybe Voit's performance program is in place for other IL offenders too and we can expect a stronger, fitter and more sustainable Yankee roster in 2022.
--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
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