Joey Votto earned his second Red o' the Week Medal Honoring Achievement in the Fields of Excellence, Splendor, Greatness, and Baseball last week, winning a tight race with a 37% plurality. He has impregnated the English language with a multitudinous litter of superlatives and is delivering them into the world himself.

The nominations for week nine are worth noting because it means all Reds regulars (the rotation and starting ten, counting the platoons) have earned at least one nomination this season. That's remarkable because it means that the team doesn't really have any weak links. Or at least, the weakest links are still performing quite well at times, even if it's just for a short stretch. I think that has been the hallmark of this franchise the last few years. There aren't many bona-fide stars, but the supporting cast is more than capable of holding its own.

Anyway, the noms:

Joey Votto

He is, of course, a bona-fide star. This guy just doesn't let up. He collected only two extra-base hits this past week, but he still raised his season slugging-percentage by 25 points on the strength of seven singles. His batting average for the week was .563.

Homer Bailey

Oooooohhhhhh buddy, does Homer loooooove facing the Pirates. He whirled a complete game against them last Tuesday, allowing only five baserunners, striking out five, and giving up only one run. His gamescore of 79 was the best yet by a Reds starter this season.

Aroldis Chapman

Yeah, he earned yet another nomination. He'll probably keep getting nominated as long as he doesn't give up a run. He still hasn't given up an earned run this season, you know. Dusty has given him a good rest the past two weeks, as he's only thrown 3.2 innings since May 23. He pitched two innings last week, striking out six of the seven Astros he faced.

Todd Frazier

Todd Frazier can do anything better than anyone. That includes extra-base hits. His slugging percentage is still above .600 on the season, buoyed by the two doubles, a triple, and a fudge ripple he banged this past week. They were the only four hits he had.

Jay Bruce

Young JB is hopefully showing signs of breaking his funk. He rapped a pair of doubles and busted a move, adding to two walks and two singles in 18 PAs.