Joey Votto, as a prospect, was playing well. Made the Futures Game in 2006. While taking BP, an ESPN blogger said:
Quote:
Joey Votto (Reds) probably put on the biggest show during BP, which is not the same as being the most impressive. Votto launched several balls into the right-field bleachers, hitting the fence at the back of the stands at least once. He does have a wide stance and a long swing, which will limit his ability to make contact going forward. At least he didn't swing and miss during BP. That's embarrassing
Baseball Prospectus, one of those sites that is almost always viewed as gospel, said something about Votto have a classic long swing/ slow bat in their pre-season prospect report the next year. By the time 2007 was done,
every prospect site on the internet had written something about Votto's slow bat.
It was a throw-away comment, meant to balance out a from-the-hip report. Nothing more. Yet the reputable sites took the information and absolutely ran wild with it.
Now, having seen Votto in person several times and on TV more than 500, I'd say that report was absolute hogwash. It was crap. Totally, absolutely wrong. Votto's bat is among the quickest in the game now and has been since he was a Canadian youth, I'd imagine. (Your bat doesn't get quicker. That's not a skill you can learn. It's God-given.)