When the Washington Nationals were on the road this weekend in New York, the front of the visitors’ clubhouse at Citi Field was flanked with veterans and team leaders along each side. Among the experienced pitchers on the right side were Patrick Corbin, Jake McGee and Steve Cishek. On the left sat Nelson Cruz and César Hernández. And sandwiched between the two was Luke Voit, a new face who has already made his presence felt.
In a young Nationals clubhouse, Luke Voit embraces being a veteran voice
“Yeah, I’m used to being on that side of the clubhouse,” Voit said, laughing as he looked toward the back of the room where the younger players were located. “It’s different, but I’ve always tried to think of myself as a leader.”
At 31 years old, the first baseman/designated hitter is now one of the veterans. It’s a new role for Voit. His first stop was with the St. Louis Cardinals, with whom he made his major league debut in 2017 and spent a year and a half before being traded to the New York Yankees.
He played in New York from the end of 2018 through the end of 2021, surrounded by experienced players with more service time than he had. He was traded this past offseason to the San Diego Padres, where he played with veterans such as Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer.
When the Nationals completed the blockbuster trade last month that sent Juan Soto and Josh Bell to the Padres for six players in return, Washington received a handful of prospects with potential. The five young prospects — CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, James Wood, Robert Hassell III and Jarlin Susana — were set, but the sixth and final piece was in question. Hosmer was initially going to be sent to the Nationals in the package, but only if he waived his no-trade clause. When he didn’t, Washington received Voit instead.
Voit had no inkling he was going to be traded. He found out about 15 minutes before the Padres were set to face the Colorado Rockies on the day of the trade deadline. Now, on his fourth team following the third trade of his career, he’s part of one of the youngest teams in baseball.
“I’ve just got to make the best of this opportunity,” Voit said. “And everyone’s been great here so far. So just go out there, have fun, be myself and try to make this team better.”
The transition to Washington was difficult. He had gotten comfortable in his role and routine as a designated hitter in San Diego. Then all of that was upended. He had to move across the country again, now with his wife and their 15-month-old daughter.
But Voit said the relationships with his new teammates have helped him acclimate. He wants to encourage guys to be themselves in the clubhouse. Manager Dave Martinez and many of Voit’s teammates have spoken about his ability to lead by example.
From each of his stops, he’s taken lessons about accountability and respect. He especially learned them in New York, where he balanced being himself with trying not to draw too much attention. He hopes to impart that wisdom to some of the younger players on the Nationals’ roster.
“He’s just very intense, and I think that’s a good thing,” outfielder Lane Thomas said. “You watch how serious he takes a lot of this stuff. It’s a long season. You can definitely let off the gas sometimes. And you don’t have much time to do that or you find yourself down a rabbit hole. … I think he’s intense and goes about his work the right way.”
Voit has been working to fix his swing this year — he has referred to it as the worst of his career. He’s hitting .225 for the season, a career low, including .226 since joining the Nationals. He can’t point to why he has struggled this year, but he said he has been slowly finding his rhythm after starting .143 in April.
With two more arbitration years left, he’d have to be tendered a contract with the Nationals for next season. He said he believes, even with the possibility of new ownership, that Washington is an attractive destination because of the young talent on the roster. It’s been a long season full of surprises for Voit, but he hopes that a positive September can propel him into a better campaign next year.
“It’s been a whirlwind. I’ve been traded twice. I’ve never gone through this before in my career,” Voit said. “I’ve still got 30 games left. I’m just going to try to be positive, be strong and put this team in a good spot to try to win some games.”
Source: WP
