A Joey Votto Reference Point

Joey Votto should walk less.

Joey Votto doesn't get paid to walk.

Joey Votto should swing the bat if he's going to bat 3rd in the lineup...

★★★

The following is an abbreviated, incomplete list of players who have walked at least 100 times in a season they spent hitting primarily 3rd or 4th in the batting order:

Joe Morgan

Ted Williams

Barry Bonds

Wade Boggs

George Brett

Carl Yastrzemski

Harmon Killebrew

Mel Ott

Mike Schmidt

Mickey Mantle

Eddie Mathews

Jimmie Foxx

Eddie Collins

Ty Cobb

Stan Musial

Willie Mays

Lou Gehrig

Babe Ruth

...

...

Joey Votto

★★★

You may have heard of a few of those fine, fine baseballing gentlemen.  Heck, you may have even heard your parents and grandparents tell stories about them.  It wouldn't shock me, really, since those players have accounted for at least one such season in each and every decade since the 1910's.

No, the ability to use the strike zone to your advantage against pitching, a good eye, and an unwillingness to swing at bad pitches isn't something sabermetrics has turned into some sort of fad, but you can add Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera to that list if you'd like, too, in case you somehow thought this was a trait long gone out of fashion.  In fact, it's a trait that the absolute best of the all time best have exploited since the dawn of the modern era.

Joey Votto should walk more.

Joey Votto does get paid to walk.

Joey Votto should do exactly what he's always done if he's going to bat 3rd in the lineup.