What you need to know about Yankees first baseman Luke Voit
In the sixth inning of Wednesday night's AL Wild Card Game, Yankees first baseman
But, just who is this Voit fellow? The Yankees acquired Voit from the Cardinals at the Trade Deadline, and ever since, he's been hitting dingers, launching 14 in just 148 plate appearances after joining the Yankees.
It's high time we get to know him a bit better.
He was hit by a pitch in his first Major League plate appearance
Everyone who has played baseball has dreamed about their first Major League at-bat ending in a home run or at least a clutch hit. Voit's dreams were no different, but reality can be cruel. His first trip to the plate ended in him getting plunked in the back:
He literally gets paid to hit dingers
It may be inconceivable now, but there was a time when Voit was struggling to hit dingers in the Minor Leagues. Luckily for him, his grandmother Joan knows how to get her grandson out of a slump: Promise to pay him for each dinger he hits. Hopefully Joan has been saving for this moment.
He does a little hop when he knows he got it
A lot of power hitters have a signature reaction when they know they've hit a ball to the moon whether it's a bat flip, a bat drop or a stare. Voit does something a bit different. He does a little hop when he knows the ball is gone:
His brother is John Voit
Sure, it's not Jon Voight, but a homonym is close enough, right? Perhaps George Costanza is in the market for his car ...
Seriously, though, John is Luke's younger brother was a defensive lineman for the Army football team. That's a lot of athleticism in one family.
He went to the same high school and college as Ryan Howard
Voit and Howard both went to Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Mo., and Missouri State University. Those certainly aren't bad footsteps to follow if you're a power-hitting first baseman.
He has an enviable postseason pedigree
Voit was drafted by the Cardinals in 2013 and spent five years in the organization before he was traded to the Yankees this summer. If your goal is to become a postseason hero, you'd be hard-pressed to put together a better organizational pedigree than Voit has.
He bench presses with one arm
Just one look at Voit's workout will let you know that he has plenty of home run power. While just about everyone else struggles to bench press with two arms, Voit makes it look easy with one:
He has a home run celebration with Yankees third base coach Phil Nevin
Most players high five their third base coach as they finish up their home run trots. But Voit and Nevin go above and beyond with their home-run-trot celebrations. They've ditched the formal handshake or high five and gone all in on a leaping elbow-bump:
At this rate, there are many more home run hops and arm bumps in Voit's future.
