A few weeks ago, I went to a sports card shop. The owner of the card shop is a very nice person and we always chat a lot. Additionally, I saw some folders where you can find some old baseball cards. I was flipping some folders, trying to see whether there were some cool cards.
Interestingly, I found a Joey Votto all-star gold parallel card from the 2017 Topps Update Series. The card is numbered to 2017. The price of that card was reasonable, so I didn’t hesitate to buy this card.
While seeing this card, I began to think about Joey Votto’s great career.
By far, Joey Votto has spent 17 seasons with the Reds, hitting .294/.409/.511 with 356 home runs and 1144 RBI over 2056 games. Moreover, he has 1365 walks and 80 stolen bases. Additionally, we can’t ignore that he won the 2010 NL MVP award.
Making it into the big leagues isn’t easy. Playing consistently in the majors isn’t easy, either. Joey Votto not only has played well in the majors but also has become a franchise player of the Cincinnati Reds. 17 seasons in the big leagues, all with the Reds, not so many players can achieve that. With those numbers, it might not be difficult to tell how important Joey Votto is.
Votto has 2135 hits in the Reds uniform. In the Reds franchise history, only 4 players collected more hits than Votto does. Pete Rose played 19 seasons for the Reds and had 3358 hits. Hall of Famer Barry Larkin played 19 seasons in the Reds uniform and he had 2340 hits. Dave Concepcion also spent 19 seasons with the Reds and had 2000+ hits. Moreover, Bid McPhee had 2000+ hits in his career with the Cincinnati Red Stockings/Reds.
Additionally, let’s take a look at the number of home runs. In franchise history, only 3 players from the Reds crushed at least 300 home runs. Hall of Famer Johnny Bench played 17 seasons with the Reds and he blasted 389 home runs. Frank Robinson, another Hall of Famer, spent 10 seasons with the Reds and smashed 324 home runs. Votto now has 356 home runs, ranking 2nd in franchise history.
Finally, Joey Votto is known for his elite plate discipline. In his career, he already drew 1300+ walks thus far. In Reds history, Pete Rose is the other player who drew at least 1000 walks. Votto, without doubt, is the franchise leader in walks.
In early November, the Reds announced that they declined Joey Votto’s option and Votto is now a free agent. At this moment, it’s hard to know whether Votto’s career will be. Is he going back to the Reds? Will he agree to a deal with another team? Perhaps he will retire? It’s very hard to tell. However, it’s obvious that Votto’s career with the Reds has been unforgettable. He has shown his great plate discipline and leads the franchise in walks. Moreover, he has 2000+ hits and 300+ home runs. Those numbers are not easy to achieve. We don’t know Votto’s decision. But, all we know is that he’s certainly a very important part of the Reds.
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