Minor League Mondays: Mitch Voit Is Off To A Running Start In St. Lucie

The minor league baseball season is starting to wind down and with it the regular seasons of the lower level affiliates as well. While Binghamton and Syracuse still have some time before the postseason, the A-ball levels are on to the postseason, including Low-A St. Lucie. The playoff ball will allow the New York Mets' most recent top draft pick, infielder Mitch Voit, to continue his first professional season. Voit is the focus of this week's edition of Minor League Mondays.

Mitch Voit is off and running for Low-A St. Lucie.

Voit, 20, was the Mets' top draft pick this summer out of the University of Michigan. Even though the Mets announced Voit as a two-way player, his primary focus will be at second base, where he played collegiately and has started for St. Lucie. Even though Voit's counting stats (.235 batting average with one home run and 8 RBI) aren't great for a college player in the Florida State League, he has made quite the impression as a base runner.

Voit has already managed to rack up 20 stolen bases in just 22 minor league games, an impressive display of speed in a short time frame. The Mets have to be encouraged by the fact that Voit has a .343 on base percentage, which indicates good plate discipline and recognition of the strike zone.

The interesting thing to watch with Voit is seeing how his offensive game progresses after focusing full time on hitting. The Mets have had recent success with former two way players as Nolan McLean and Carson Benge have become elite prospects after focusing exclusively on one craft (McLean on pitching and Benge on hitting), so there is a chance that Voit has some untapped offensive potential that can be unlocked with an exclusive focus on batting. Scouts are intrigued by the potential for Voit to become a 15-20 home run type of hitter with a few swing adjustments. Voit's speed already has allowed him to have excellent range at second base and his arm is above average for the position, making him a potential elite defender there and a playable starter at the key stone if he is an average offensive contributor. Voit is currently rated as the Mets' 9th-best prospect according to MLB.com and is someone the team can afford to let develop slowly. Thanks to a strong crop of middle infielders in the farm system already, Voit can take his time to improve his swing and potentially become a starting-level player. There is a high floor for Voit as a defense-first middle infielder with speed, but getting more out of his bat is the key to seeing how good a big leaguer he can be. If Voit is able to finish the postseason strong for St. Lucie, don't be shocked if he begins next spring on Coney Island with the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones. As a former collegian, Voit should be ready to handle the pitching he would see at that level. Barring a dramatic hitting improvement, Voit should spend most of next summer in Brooklyn, potentially pinging on the Mets' radar as a big league option in 2028.