New York Yankees: Joey Votto was right about Matt Carpenter

Joey Votto told Matt Carpenter that he still had something left in the tank. The New York Yankees are glad that he did.

Carpenter was ready to face reality. He had been awful during his final two seasons in St. Louis, posting a miserable .176/.313/.291 batting line in his 418 plate appearances over that time, hitting seven homers and 17 doubles. While he was still drawing walks, he did not have much power left and his bat looked slow. At 36 years old, it was possible that he had reached the end of the road.

New York Yankees should thank Joey Votto for Matt Carpenter

Enter Votto. Carpenter had the Reds’ star watch his swing in order to get an honest assessment. If Votto thought he was done, it was over. Instead, he felt his former rival had something left to offer and helped overhaul his swing.

That reworked swing led to a minor league deal with the Rangers, and, after being released when he would not be part of their plans, a major league deal from the Yankees that was met with skepticism. If the Rangers were unable to use him, how could New York?

Carpenter proved to be yet another brilliant move by Brian Cashman. He has proven to be one of their better hitters this season, seeing action in both corner infield and corner outfield spots while typically slotting in as their designated hitter. His 13 homers are fifth on the team, although he has just 91 plate appearances. He has produced an incredible .360/.467/.933 batting line as he has helped shove underachieving pieces such as Joey Gallo and Aaron Hicks to the bench.

It is a remarkable turnaround. Just four months ago, Carpenter was left for dead, just another aging player on the scrap heap. Votto may have believed in him but no one else did. That is, until the Yankees saw something in his performance at Triple-A and gave him a chance.

The New York Yankees have yet another bargain on their roster in Matt Carpenter. They can thank Joey Votto – he was right all along.