Article: Will the Brewers Get the Real Luke Voit to Fill Their Power Void?

[Tim Muma]

As Spring Training begins, remaining free agents get antsy and start taking offers at which they would have balked in December. The Milwaukee Brewers benefited from that, as they signed big, right-handed hitting Luke Voit to a minor-league contract. It could be a huge deal for both sides if things break right. 

Image courtesy of © Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Though he had a down year in 2022, Luke Voit has shown the ability to produce lofty power numbers in the past, even in part-time duty. It surprised him that teams weren't calling with an MLB contract offer, but he also wanted a shot with a winning team. Now Voit has to earn his way onto the Opening Day roster. He has his offensive flaws and defensive limitations, but Voit could fill the giant void left by Hunter Renfroe on the right side of the dish.

 

Luke Voit hit a HR onto the roof of the Brewers’ Maryvale complex in his first day with the team. Then, he got to talk to me: pic.twitter.com/nCNov8jlpH

— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) February 21, 2023

 

Matthew Trueblood shared an interesting comparison of Voit and Rowdy Tellez to show how they complement each other. The question for the Brewers will be, will the 26-man roster be better with Voit's bat as a 1B/DH or with a defensively versatile player? Let's look at some areas where Voit's numbers could tempt Milwaukee to keep him on the big-league club, despite how it might limit the Crew's flexibility.

His Previous Three Seasons (2019-2021)
The 2022 campaign was a struggle for Voit (to say the least), playing in two home parks that work against right-handed power hitters (PETCO Park in San Diego, and Nationals Park in Washington). He also felt lingering effects from knee surgery before the 2021 season to repair a torn meniscus. That surgery kept him from repeating his performance from 2020, when Voit led baseball in home runs, blasting 22 dingers in 234 plate appearances. With a pair of shortened seasons following a terrific 2019 season, his three campaigns before last season were All-Star worthy.

162-game averages:
.261/.356/.494/.850
36 HR, 22 doubles, 100 RBI, 93 R

Voit will never see those counting stats in a season, because he won't come close to playing 162 games. However, finding the best matchups for 100 games of Voit while securing an .850 OPS would be a fantastic development for the Brewers' offense. Especially against southpaws, a known struggle for the recent Milwaukee squads, Voit might bring a semblance of consistency.

Platoon Splits
You might have heard that Voit doesn't have traditional left-right platoon splits, meaning he hasn't been noticeably better versus left-handed pitchers than against righties. While it's true Voit has better career stats against right-handers, it doesn't mean he's been bad against lefties. Yes, 2022 was terrible from that perspective, but guys are allowed to have a bad season. If we again check out those previous three years, the numbers look much better with the platoon advantage.

As noted before, Voit's bat can replace some of the lost production created with the Renfroe trade to the Los Angeles Angels. Renfroe was easily the Brewers' best hitter against lefties (minimum 50 PAs) last season. Only Mike Brosseau and Luis Urias in 2022 had numbers better than Voit's worst season versus southpaws between 2019-2021; those stats were only slightly better.

Like many in today's game, Voit's big issue is strikeouts. He owns a career strikeout percentage (K%) of 28.5%, though it has jumped up over 30% in the past two seasons. Can the Brewers stomach a hitter with such a high propensity for whiffs? They've tried with Keston Hiura, whose career rate is 36%. Voit also owns a 10.2% walk percentage (BB%), nearly three percentage points higher than Hiura's (7.4%). Theoretically, this should put Voit ahead of Hiura on the depth chart, but there are other decisions to make.

The Brewers will likely keep 13 position players, and view Tellez as the primary first baseman. Manager Craig Counsell tends to prefer guys who can offer defensive versatility and who give him a chance to create numerous lineups and matchups. Voit can only play first base in the field, and Jesse Winker is likely holding down the DH spot against righties. Milwaukee's brass might feel uncomfortable carrying two first basemen when they could instead have a utility player to cover multiple spots.

These decisions often come down to minor-league options and the hope to keep organizational depth for as long as possible. Voit is under a minor-league contract, but he might have a contract clause that lets him elect free agency if he isn't on the big-league club by a specific date. Brice Turang and Mike Brosseau each have options that could hurt their chances, especially since Hiura is out of options. These four players don't factor in the outfield, either. Would the Brewers carry only four true outfielders? They could feel that Brian Anderson, Brosseau, and Winker (when he's ready) can help hold down the outfield. If so, that allows Milwaukee's staff to carry someone like Voit.

The difference between winning a division title and missing the playoffs often happens in the margins. Finding a way to utilize a player like Voit without compromising the core of your team improves the chances that that team realizes its full potential. If Voit can rediscover something close to his previous output, he might be the game-changer the Brewers need.

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[Brock Beauchamp]

At this point, I'm ready to take a low minors lottery ticket in trade for Hiura and just move on from him. I think Voit is a better fit for the roster on Opening Day.