A Tribute to Joey Votto's Time With the Cincinnati Reds
An IBWAA writer shares fond memories of Joey Votto
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
. . . Since 2000, Joey Votto has accumulated the fourth-most bWAR with one team at 64.4. Albert Pujols with St. Louis leads with 88.8, Mike Trout with the Angels has 85.2, and Clayton Kershaw has 77.1.
Of the organizational leaders since 2000, assuming Votto does not return to the Reds, Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez, Houston’s Jose Altuve, and Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen are the three org leaders who played 2023 with the team that they led in bWAR since 2000.
Leading Off
Who’s On First? Joey.
By Scott Flinchum
Great American Ballpark is pulsing. A crowd of 31,191 supporters are cheering for their adopted son, Joseph Daniel Votto. In what may be his final appearance, those in attendance are paying their respects to a man whose number nineteen is synonymous with the red, black, and white of the Queen City’s finest. Over that time, he’s been a stalwart with the team for his seventeen seasons. An on-base machine. An archetype at the vanguard of what an MVP—and Hall of Fame—caliber player looks like in today’s ever-evolving game.
He’s also an eccentric, enigmatic, and, at times, a reticent clubhouse leader. And, in the eyes of some Reds faithful, he’s the victim of a solipsistic owner with a penchant for denigrating a core fanbase that wanted more for their franchise player.
Through all this, he’s remained what he’s always been - a tireless worker and student of the game. Now, as my four-year-old daughter and I exuberantly chant his name along with our fellow Redlegs— “Joey, Joey, Joey…”—I’m reminded of what players like Votto can give us - a sense of place, connection to other lovers of this great game, and passion through the ups and downs that life hurls at each of us. Players like Votto remind us of the greatness we all possess and sometimes, to see that, we have to dig a little deeper.
Numbers Game
Votto’s Hall of Fame case has already been made by several journalists.
Looking at JAWS (sabremetrician Jay Jaffe’s brainchild for judging a player’s HOF worthiness), he ranks 12th all-time among first basemen with a score of 55.6 – higher than HOF’ers Willie McCovey, Eddie Murray, and Harmon Killebrew to name a few. Only Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera rank higher than Votto among recent players.
When comparing his numbers among first basemen from his generation, there are only two with higher career WAR than his 64.4, Miguel Cabrera (67.3) and Albert Pujols (an astonishing 101.7). Both, when they reach eligibility, are quintessential first-ballot HOF’ers. However, in career OPS, his .9205 is higher than both Cabrera’s (.9005) and Pujols’ (.9181). In OBP (Votto’s true calling card), he not only led the league seven times (so far) over the course of his 17-year career, but, during his Major League tenure, his .409 outshines both Cabrera (.382) and Pujols (.374) again - food for thought for any voting journalists who may doubt his HOF case.
As a Red
At the club level, Votto has secured some equally notable plaudits, including Reds all-time walk leader (1,365 and counting), second all-time in OBP (only HOF’er Joe Morgan was better with a mark of .415), second all-time in OPS (behind only HOF’er Frank Robinson), second all-time in HR (his 356 falling just short of HOF’er Johnny Bench’s mark of 389), and the list goes on. When it comes to all-time Reds’ greats, many outlets have Votto in the top five greatest position players in the team’s storied history, or, if not in the top five, at least firmly in the conversation
Champion of the Queen City
While October baseball has often eluded Votto (he’s only participated in playoff ball in four of his seventeen seasons), he’s proven himself a champion to Cincinnati through his outreach work.
From his work at the P&G Reds Youth Academy to coaching an under-13 RBI team during an injury stint, to his behind-the-scenes trips to visit sick children at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, to his relationship with the Make-A-Wish foundation, to his foundation that’s partnered with the University of Cincinnati to help fund a program providing military members and their family’s with PTSD treatment, he’s shown that the time he puts in doesn’t just stop on the ball field.
He’s a proponent of the people of Cincinnati and it could be argued that the tool through which he does that just happens to be baseball. The character he’s displayed, both on and off the field, suggests that his love of helping others isn’t something that can be reduced to the fact that he’s a major league ball player and that’s simply what they should all do. Because many don’t.
He truly cares about the community in Cincinnati and there have been many occasions outside of Reds-sanctioned fan events (like the annual Redsfest), where Votto has made himself available to the fans.
Votto’s passion for the city has been evident over his seventeen seasons and the ovation he received from myself and 31,191 other fans at Great American Ball Park on a sunny Saturday in late September, his time in Cincy hasn’t been taken for granted.
JDV
Joseph Daniel Votto has had many nicknames throughout his career. The obvious: Joey. The celebratory: Votto-matic. The obscure: Tokkie 2 (Japanese for “rabbit” and given to him by former Reds teammate Shin-Shoo-Choo). My personal favorite, however, is the one he chose for himself. Who.
Votto’s 2019 Players’ Weekend nickname perfectly encapsulated what he’s about. He’s a showman. An eccentric. A fan favorite. A future HOF’er. But, more than that, he’s a fan. And if my daughter and I just watched his last at-bat (in a Reds uniform or otherwise), I’m immensely grateful to have gotten to see one of our own, a true fan, step up to the plate for us one more time.
Scott Flinchum is a writer based in Virginia. He is interested in telling a wide range of stories. His work can be found at eephus.Substack.com.
Timeless Trivia
Of the organizational bWAR leaders since 2000, the position most represented was third base with eight, followed by starting pitcher with seven. Catcher and designated hitter each had one. What position did not have a bWAR leader since 2000 with a team?
Answer in Tuesday’s newsletter…