Expectations are always high for top draft picks, and outfielder Mitch Voit of the New York Mets was no exception. Voit played all over the field for the Michigan Wolverines, and came to the Mets with a well-rounded offensive resume that included a slash line of .346/.471/.688. In his first season with the Mets he displayed some skills that weren’t necessarily on his college resume.
Primarily, we’re talking speed. Voit had a plus grade in that category coming in, but what the outfielder did during his brief stint at St. Lucie did was remarkable. He stole 20 bases in 22 games, which tracks well with the Mets desire to add speed across the board. Voit was also caught just once, so we’re talking about a player whose speed could be a genuine weapon if he continues to develop.
Voit also displayed superb plate discipline, especially for a player who just turned 21 in September. His walk rate was just 13.1 percent, according to Stephen Parello of Rising Apple, and that number drove an above-average OBP of .343.
Where Voit struggled was with his batting average. He hit just .235, but this wasn’t entirely unexpected given that college prospects often have trouble making the transition from aluminum bats to MLB wood.
The bigger disappointment, at least to the fan base and some of the scouts, was Voit’s power output. He hit 14 home runs during his final year at Michigan, but Voit his just one home run and two doubles.
This isn’t reason for panic given the small sample size, but it might be cause for concern. Voit gets a bit of a mulligan because he’s a college prospect, but he’ll need to display some pop to become a regular at Citi Field.
Two of his underlying metrics provided reason for hope. One was Voit’s selectivity, which allows him to pick and chose the pitches where he sells out for power. Another was his pull rate of 18 percent, which placed him in the 62nd percentile of A-ball at-bats, according to Parello, and pull rate at the lower levels of the minors is generally considered a good indicator for future power.
Putting all of this together, it’s tough to give Voit a star grade, but there’s a lot to work with going forward. Ideally, this season should included his transition from A level to Double A, and that’s when we’ll find out more about Mitch Voit and what his real future will be with the Mets.