When Will Votto Be Ready?

[HermW]

Last year, Joey Votto struggled a bit, and made me doubt his "prospect" status a bit, but he seems to have found his stride at AA and very much back on the prospect radar. He is a basically top 10 in most statistical categories in the Southern League right now.

The first question is whether or not this is the real Votto. Now that he has reasserted himself at an upper level in the minors should we all start believing fully in him as the future at 1B for the Reds?

Assuming this is the real Votto, when he is ready for Triple-A and/or the bigs? Plugging Votto in at 1B everyday with his potential to OPS .900 and hit 30 HR looks a lot better than Casey, Hatteberg and Aurillia. I haven't looked but I would think that 1B is easily the Reds worst league-comparison batting position on the field.

I like the looks of this future lineup:

2B Freel/Phillips
SS Lopez
LF Dunn (I know this will be Griffey if he is around, but this is MY lineup)
RF Kearns
CF Griffey/Denorfia
3B Encarnacion
1B Votto
C Whoever

[NewEraReds]

Last year, Joey Votto struggled a bit, and made me doubt his "prospect" status a bit, but he seems to have found his stride at AA and very much back on the prospect radar. He is a basically top 10 in most statistical categories in the Southern League right now.

The first question is whether or not this is the real Votto. Now that he has reasserted himself at an upper level in the minors should we all start believing fully in him as the future at 1B for the Reds?

Assuming this is the real Votto, when he is ready for Triple-A and/or the bigs? Plugging Votto in at 1B everyday with his potential to OPS .900 and hit 30 HR looks a lot better than Casey, Hatteberg and Aurillia. I haven't looked but I would think that 1B is easily the Reds worst league-comparison batting position on the field.

I like the looks of this future lineup:

2B Freel/Phillips
SS Lopez
LF Dunn (I know this will be Griffey if he is around, but this is MY lineup)
RF Kearns
CF Griffey/Denorfia
3B Encarnacion
1B Votto
C Whoever

first off, i dont think you can say votto will hit 30 homeruns. he might, but i think 20 is the number i would expect right now from him. id like to see him play all year in aa. maybe start off next year in aa, but play most of the year in aaa next year. and then the following year, who knows.


and on an aside, i dont know if you can pencil dunn in as being here once votto makes it up. i personally dont think he is a krivsky type of player. doesnt mean he will ever get moved, but for his price tag, i dont see him sticking around here. awefully expencive guy for what he does. but lets not make this into a hijacking of a votto thread into a dunn back and forth

[tbball10]

why would votto start in aa next year if he is hitting awesome right now?

[NewEraReds]

why would votto start in aa next year if he is hitting awesome right now?

there is more to baseball than hitting 300

[TOBTTReds]

there is more to baseball than hitting 300

That's right. He is OPS'ing .902 right now and already has 18 doubles, 9 HR, 28 RBI, and even 10 SB's. His major detractor is his K/BB ratio. For some reason this year he isn't taking as many walks and is K'ing the usual. Sounds like he has gotten more aggressive, and I like that. His numbers are great right now. I would be shocked if he smelled AA next year. There is no doubt he will be ready for AAA next year barring an injury.

[dougdirt]

I agree Aves, heck he might be ready for AAA in July.

[NewEraReds]

That's right. He is OPS'ing .902 right now and already has 18 doubles, 9 HR, 28 RBI, and even 10 SB's. His major detractor is his K/BB ratio. For some reason this year he isn't taking as many walks and is K'ing the usual. Sounds like he has gotten more aggressive, and I like that. His numbers are great right now. I would be shocked if he smelled AA next year. There is no doubt he will be ready for AAA next year barring an injury.

im talking about defense. and i never said he would start in aa next year, just said he might

[tbball10]

what's the difference between defense at aa and defense at aaa?

[NewEraReds]

nothing, except the coaches. and being confident and confortable at chat will allow him to concentrate on it, instead of being up a level and getting to know everything and working on hitting at a higher level, etc. i just really like our chatt coaches. if it were me, thats where i would be having all our top guys instead of moving them to aaa

[HermW]

You may be right that Votto is only a 20 HR guy, but I see his 27 doubles and HRs at the end of May from a still pretty young guy and think he may have 30 HR power down the road. Could be wrong of course, maybe he is more a doubles guy like EE appears to be, but I think a 30-HR projection is reasonable right now.

And who knows who is there when Votto moves up? I was just projecting the only players that I know could be there. I would love for Votto's tear to continue myself and see him in AAA this year. I'm not that worried about rushing a hitter, unless his fielding is just beyond the pale atrocious.

[cincy09]

realistically 2008 seems to be the year for Votto, assuming everything goes along to plan.