LUKE’S TRAINING
Voit took detour to learn how to control his anger, resist dark side
OAKLAND, Calif. — Luke Voit’s game might be loud, yet it requires a level of finesse to pull off the high-wire act without offending people. Some ballplayers never discover that sweet spot.
This didn’t come naturally to the Yankees’ savior of the moment, however. Like many of us, he required college to work out the kinks.
“I was kind of a hothead,” Voit told The Post on Wednesday, before the Yankees lost 8-2 to the A’s and he went 1-for-4. “I was kind of immature going in [to college]: Throwing my stuff. Being selfish. Being a bad teammate.
“That’s kind of one of the reasons I wanted to go to college. I felt like I wasn’t ready for the minor leagues. I knew I would grow there.”
Keith Guttin, Voit’s head coach at Missouri State, concurred, albeit not as directly. In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Guttin said of Voit, “He was always fiery, but sometimes, he was kind of a perfectionist. Through the long seasons of the minor leagues, he’s learned to channel those emotions better. That’s been a growth progress.”
Guttin is the man Voit credits for giving him the playing time that made his current Yankees surge possible. Guttin’s story of how he connected with Voit and then watched him blossom underlines the serendipity and diligence that combine to make this sort of underdog tale a reality.
At Lafayette High School in the St. Louis suburbs, the alma mater of former Phillies slugger Ryan Howard, Voit focused on football before injuries caused him to pivot late to baseball. The Royals drafted him in the 32nd round of the 2009 amateur draft, yet Voit committed to John A. Logan College in Illinois, a junior college, with the intention of putting himself back on the draft platform one year later.
Then came the twist of fate. According to Guttin, a Missouri State alumnus who has led the baseball program since 1983, he had essentially finished his recruiting for the 2009-10 team in the spring of ’09 when both of his catchers got drafted. Dallas Hord, the incumbent, went to the Marlins in the 32nd round, six picks behind Voit, and Bubby Williams, who had been set to transfer from Crowder College (a junior college in Missouri), signed with the Astros after an 11th-round selection.
“We’re sitting there in late June, early July, and we’re scrambling,” Guttin said. “We really didn’t have a good option in-house. … We had known about [Voit]. We watched him that summer. We basically called his juco coach and said, ‘Hey this is not good news. We’re gonna recruit him right now. We need a guy who can help us play.’ ”
As a college catcher, Voit benefited from the tutelage of Missouri State’s Paul Evans, who helped him hone his knowledge as well as his behavior. Learning how to attack opposing hitters “definitely made me a way better hitter,” Voit said.
After four years at Missouri State, Voit joined the Cardinals as a 22nd-round draftee in 2013, with a very modest $5,000 signing bonus, and went to work. He switched away from catcher in 2014, his first full pro season, putting the onus on his bat, which sure has delivered for the moment. The Yankees are grateful they acquired Voit in a low-profile, late-July trade with the Cardinals.
“It’s easy to say this now, but I always thought he had a chance to hit in pro ball,” said Guttin, who added, “I don’t know that anybody back then_ area scout, crosschecker, coach, opponent — would’ve been able to predict the power that has come out. That’s a credit to his hard work and the two organizations he has been with.
“The only bad part is, now he can’t play in our celebrity golf tournament.”
Actually, the tournament will be held Oct. 5, so if the Yankees lose the American League wild-card game on Oct. 3 … “I hope they win and keep going,” Guttin responded with a chuckle, swatting away The Post’s professional thoroughness. Guttin witnessed the very beginning of this Cinderella story; let’s call it the “angry duckling” phase. Now we’re all curious just how far Voit can take the Yankees on his thrilling tightrope walk.