St. Louis Cardinals: Luke Voit is Off to a Fast Start

Apr 8, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; Fans look on as the Cincinnati Reds play the St. Louis Cardinals during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won 10-4. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; Fans look on as the Cincinnati Reds play the St. Louis Cardinals during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won 10-4. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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The St. Louis Cardinals Triple-A affiliate features slugger Luke Voit is off to a very fast start and may deserve a potential call-up.

The St. Louis Cardinals have had their fair share of struggles early this season including their offense production. They’re hitting for a major league worst .209 batting average and a National League worst .617 OPS (through first 13 games).

Meanwhile, the Memphis Redbirds, the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate, has been one of the more successful teams in the Pacific Coast league so far. They lead the league in home runs with 16 and have a team OPS of .741 through their first 12 games.

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Part of the Redbirds’ success has come from first baseman Luke Voit, who played at the collegiate level at Missouri State and attended St. Louis’s Lafayette High School. Voit, 26, has batted .324/.457/.676 with three home runs through 46 plate appearances this year. He’s also coming off of a very impressive 2016 season where he batted .297/.372/.477 and slugged a career high 19 home runs in 546 plate appearances.

Voit was selected in the 22nd round of the 2013 draft but didn’t quite find his power until 2015. He isn’t listed in MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 organizational prospects but has been a successful batter in each promotion and at each level.

Voit is limited to first base defensively and that hurts his prospect grade but he isn’t a liability by any means. What is really enticing about Voit though, is his raw power and that has carried him and could continue to carry him through the ranks.

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Considering the offensive production of the current MLB team, Voit may end up getting a shot. His name is certainly one to watch along with Patrick Wisdom, Paul DeJong, Carson Kelly, and Harrison Bader as the season progresses. There is a lot of talent in the St. Louis Cardinals minor league systems but Voit clearly stands out as a true power threat. Plus, he’s a St. Louisan so getting called-up would be pretty cool for him, his family, and all St. Louis Cardinals fans.