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New York Yankees first baseman (1B) Luke Voit had a breakout 2020 season, especially for fantasy baseball. Brian Entrekin looks back at his performance to determine his value for 2021.
The 2020 MLB season just ended, and it is already time to start preparing for the 2021 season. Let’s kick things off by looking back at one of the more significant standouts in the 2020 season, Luke Voit. Voit entered spring in a potential timeshare at first base for the Yankees, but after a late start to the season and some Yankees roster changes, Voit was the man.
As the starter at first base for the potent Yankees lineup, Voit mashed his way to a career season. He played in 56 of 60 games for the Bronx Bombers while hitting .277 with 22 home runs while scoring 41 runs and driving in 52. Even more impressive than the offensive numbers was that Voit was overall healthy and played in 93% of the Yankees games after playing no more than 73% of the games in the previous season.
Voit was an absolute gift to fantasy owners in 2020 as most drafted him as a late option at first base or as a corner infield option. His NFBC Spring Main Event ADP was 191, meaning he was a late 12th-round pick or later. Voit’s increase in power, average, aggressiveness at the plate, and more will make him climb up draft boards for the 2021 season. In Justin Mason’s 2 Early Mocks, his ADP rose to 46, and that will leave many fantasy owners with a tough decision come draft day.
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Health and a New Approach Leads to a Career Year
We have known Voit was a significant power bat since he broke into the majors with the Cardinals in 2017. In 2018, the Cardinals traded Voit to the Yankees, and between a few minor league levels and some time in the bigs, Voit managed to hit a total of 26 home runs over 125 games. In 2019, he battled injuries but still managed to play 122 games and hit 23 more home runs. There was always hope that Voit could stay healthy and have a 30-plus home run season, and we got a taste of that in 2020 when he hit 22 home runs in 56 games.
There were a couple of things that have led to a constant increase in power. The significant change or most notable change is a change in stance and swing at the plate. (vides courtesy of Mike Kurland)
When looking at the videos, you can see the opening of the stance, not crouching as much, and the location of his hands changing. All things that help in loading up and getting to the ball quickly with a significant power swing.
The other significant change in the 2020 season is improved overall contact and aggressiveness at the plate.
| Zone Contact % | Chase Contact % | 1st Pitch Swing | Whiff % | |
| 2019 | 74.3 | 37.3 | 43.1 | 35.1 |
| 2020 | 80.8 | 50.4 | 51.7 | 27.6 |
As we can see, Voit was more aggressive on first pitches while also improving his contact in and out of the zone while whiffing less. Early in the count, the aggressiveness could have been the major factor as many pitchers will look to get a first-pitch strike and throw a more hittable fastball. Regardless, there was a change in Voit’s stance at the plate and approach while in the box that has to lead to a continuous power spike and a monstrous 2020 season.
2021 Expectations
Voit has shown constant improvements at the plate as he continues to get everyday playing time for the Yankees. Injuries have always been a concern with Voit, but a relatively healthy 2020 is hopefully a positive sign for 2021. Without a significant threat to take away playing time, Voit should be penciled in as the everyday first baseman for the Yankees, leading to strong fantasy production.
The primary question is not if Voit can be a productive player, but rather is worth the draft day price associated with a productive 2020. In the first NFBC Draft Champions draft, Voit was selected 52 overall and the fifth first baseman off the board. That is quite a jump considering Voit had an NFBC Spring Main Event ADP of 191 last season. The 2021 Steamer projections also are not huge fans of Voit replicating his 2020 season as they have him hitting .250 with 31 home runs, 85 runs, and 87 RBI. That is still a strong stat line, but not a near Top 50 pick stat line. As much as I love what Voit has done, it will be hard for me to draft him in 2021 at his current draft price.
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