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Fast Facts
- Joseph Daniel Votto
- Born Sept 10, 1983 in Toronto, Ontario
- Bats left, throws right
- 6’2” 220 lbs
- The English language is alarmingly bereft of adjectives that can adequate describe his truth
Organizational History
- Selected in the second round of the 2002 Rule IV draft
- Debuted Sept 4, 2007
- Signed for the next six years and guaranteed $157 million; full no-trade clause
Career Stats
So many bold numbers. He has led the league in OBP six times, walks five times, OPS and OPS+ twice. He has finished in the top seven in MVP voting six times, include second last season.
Scouting Report
Projections
Untitled
| SOURCE | PA | HR | R | RBI | Steals | AVG/OBP/SLG | Def | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOURCE | PA | HR | R | RBI | Steals | AVG/OBP/SLG | Def | WAR |
| Depth Charts | 665 | 28 | 95 | 92 | 5 | .299/.432/.520 | -10.5 | 4.7 |
| Steamer | 640 | 28 | 94 | 88 | 4 | .295/.429/.521 | -12.6 | 4.2 |
| ZiPS | 624 | 25 | 87 | 88 | 6 | .303/.434/.519 | -8.5 | 4.9 |
| Marcel | 621 | 28 | 89 | 83 | 7 | .305/.429/.534 | ||
| DC, Steamer, and ZiPS via FanGraphs | ||||||||
| Marcel via B-Ref |
Outlook
This outlet has spared not a single vowel in extolling Joey Votto. This blog’s existence more-or-less maps onto the same timeline of Votto’s career to date, so in a very important sense we have all grown together. My confident guess is that we have written more about Votto than any other one player, so I fear there is not a whole lot here I can reveal. So with that said, what can we reasonable expect from him?
In all actuality, it is tough to say. On one hand, he has been remarkably consistent throughout his career. He is (arguably) the best hitter of his generation, so it would be easy to say that he will just keep doing that through 2018. On the other hand, he will turn 35 in September, so as much as it pains me to say it, he probably cannot hit like a prophesied savior forever. On the third hand, he had perhaps the best season of his career just last year, when he started all 162 games, led the league in OPS, and finished a hair’s breadth behind Giancarlo Stanton in MVP voting.
Regardless, Votto is within spitting distance of the Hall of Fame. Just how the decline phase of his career unfolds will dictate whether or not he ends up in Cooperstown sometime in the next decade. Regardless, he is now clearly the best first baseman and best hitter in the franchise’s long history. There is gonna be a statue of him on Joe Nuxhall Way.