Luke Voit knows that 2020 was not a “regular” season by any stretch of the imagination, but that doesn’t mean the Yankees’ expectations were tempered in any way, nor does it mean they’re complacent heading into the offseason.
“We didn’t finish where we wanted to, and we’re frustrated losing to the Rays, but we’re already working our butts off to come out and win No. 28 next year,” Voit told Marc Malusis during an appearance on WFAN’s Moose & Maggie Show Wednesday.
Regular season or not, though, DJ LeMahieu was even better for the Yankees in 2020 than he was in 2019, finishing in the Top 3 in MVP voting after hitting an MLB-high .364 and leading the AL in OBP, OPS, and OPS+…all while playing Gold Glove caliber defense at the keystone.
The Yankees have a huge conundrum on their hands when it comes to re-signing DJLM, but if it were up to Voit, his right-side partner of the last two years would be here forever.
“DJ wants to be here man, and I think he’d do anything to come back. Hopefully he does,” Voit said. “I have no idea what they’re going to do, but I know everyone wants DJ back. He’s literally the best hitter I’ve ever seen in person, and I want to see him in pinstripes for the rest of his career.”
When Moose noted how LeMahieu has a rare combination of qualities in the batter’s box, Voit doubled down on the notion.
“You don’t see guys ever hit .360. I know it’s a short season, but he hit .330 last year, too,” Voit said. “The guy hits the ball all over the field and never gets shifted. He hits everything. When I was hitting behind him, even with two outs I knew I was going to get an at-bat. It doesn’t matter if the guy was throwing 115 or 65. The dude is literally a machine. That’s why we call him that.”
And later on, in another exclusive with NJ.com, Voit gave the money quote.
"If I was a gambling man, I'd want to put money on DJ coming back," Voit said.
Back to join Voit in what he calls “a blessing” – being a Yankee.
“It’s the best. Growing up in the Midwest, I didn’t realize how awesome the Yankees fan base is,” Voit said. “To wear the pinstripes every day…not a lot of guys get to do it, but a lot of legends have gotten to wear the pinstripes, and it’s probably the coolest team in the world to play for. It’s a blessing.”
You can listen to Voit’s entire segment below, as well as Moose’s soliloquy on how the Yankees need to get a DJLM deal done ASAP!
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