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Thread: The Evolution of Joey Votto

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    Member Homer Bailey's Avatar
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    The Evolution of Joey Votto

    Fangraphs looks at Votto:

    For his career, 45.3% of the pitches Votto has been thrown have been in the strike zone, though that number has been dropping for each of the past few years as pitchers have figured out how good he really is. This year, only 36.2% of the pitches Votto has seen have been strikes, the lowest total of any hitter in baseball. Rather than getting frustrated by the lack of pitches he’s being given to hit and expanding his zone, Votto has actually gone the other way – he’s cut his O-Swing% to 23.1%, down from 29.9% last year.


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    Re: The Evolution of Joey Votto

    Kind of makes you long for the days of 500+ post threads where fans wanted him traded for Eric Bedard because 1B are so much easier to find than LH starters...

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    Re: The Evolution of Joey Votto

    Dude's a machine.
    Quote Originally Posted by BCubb2003 View Post
    Don't worry. I'd say the game threads are about league average.
    Phil Castellini puts the FUN in Trust Fund.

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    Re: The Evolution of Joey Votto

    Crazy to think that he is now accepted as one of the five best hitters in the game hands down. Could easily make an argument for him being in the top 3.

    I never thought we would say that about a member of the Cincinnati Reds.
    Go BLUE!!!

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    Waitin til next year bucksfan2's Avatar
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    Re: The Evolution of Joey Votto

    Quote Originally Posted by Benihana View Post
    Crazy to think that he is now accepted as one of the five best hitters in the game hands down. Could easily make an argument for him being in the top 3.

    I never thought we would say that about a member of the Cincinnati Reds.
    There was talk a couple of years ago about how Albert Pujols was one of the only players in the game that could actually set a pitcher up. I view Votto in that same mold right now. He is able to waste good pitches with 2 strikes while he looks for a pitch in the zone he wants to hit in. There was an at bat against the DBacks on Sunday that he got behind in the count and proceeded to foul off a couple of tough 2 strike pitches until he got one up in the zone and ripped it for a hit.

    IMO he has become a much more patient hitter and it looks like he knows the strike zone to a tee. This could be a scary good season for Votto.

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    Re: The Evolution of Joey Votto

    I wish I could have seen the fox tracks of his first plate appearance last night where he got the called third strike. Didn't look like Joey agreed too much w/ that call (though to the umps credit, or perhaps discredit he called that pitch constitantly a strike for the next inning that I watched before going to bed) When Joey thinks a ball is a ball, I tend to think he's right. Love watching him bat, its a joy how locked in he gets on every at bat.

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    Re: The Evolution of Joey Votto

    In the ESPN Beat the Streak Contest, I keep finding myself picking Votto when another option doesn't just jump out at me.

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    nothing more than a fan Always Red's Avatar
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    Re: The Evolution of Joey Votto

    It really is a pleasure to watch Votto bat; he's got a plan.
    sorry we're boring

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    Re: The Evolution of Joey Votto

    Desire, intelligence, work ethic, concentration, competitiveness. He's got talent, sure, but he has been driving himself to greatness.

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    Re: The Evolution of Joey Votto

    I wonder how long it'll be before we start seeing Votto's IBB numbers start to climb towards Pujols levels.
    Cincinnati Reds: Farm System Champions 2022

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    Re: The Evolution of Joey Votto

    Cutting down on his strikeouts is the only thing he needed to do to be a Pujols clone. If he can keep it up, look out.
    Games are won on run differential -- scoring more than your opponent. Runs are runs, scored or prevented they all count the same. Worry about scoring more and allowing fewer, not which positions contribute to which side of the equation or how "consistent" you are at your current level of performance.

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    Waitin til next year bucksfan2's Avatar
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    Re: The Evolution of Joey Votto

    Quote Originally Posted by RedsManRick View Post
    Cutting down on his strikeouts is the only thing he needed to do to be a Pujols clone. If he can keep it up, look out.
    I agree wholeheartedly. I also think coming off his MVP season he will start to get the borderline strike calls more often than not.

    As for the question about the strikeout last night from Latos. IMO that ball was a great pitch, but a ball. There is no way that ball cut back and caught the plate.

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    Re: The Evolution of Joey Votto

    I'm sure glad we're past the point where "strike outs don't matter" around here. Remember those days???

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    Re: The Evolution of Joey Votto

    Quote Originally Posted by Sea Ray View Post
    I'm sure glad we're past the point where "strike outs don't matter" around here. Remember those days???
    They aren't unimportant, but I also don't feel like they're the death knell that they are sometimes made to be.

    Obviously strikeouts are a part of the reason why a guy like Adam Dunn never became what everyone thought he would be, but he was still an offensive force in his own right. Just not on the level of a Votto.
    Quote Originally Posted by BCubb2003 View Post
    Don't worry. I'd say the game threads are about league average.
    Phil Castellini puts the FUN in Trust Fund.

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    Mailing it in Cyclone792's Avatar
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    Re: The Evolution of Joey Votto

    Quote Originally Posted by Benihana View Post
    Crazy to think that he is now accepted as one of the five best hitters in the game hands down. Could easily make an argument for him being in the top 3.

    I never thought we would say that about a member of the Cincinnati Reds.
    He's the most complete hitter I've ever seen in a Reds uniform, and it isn't all that close. Barry Larkin was magical because he was such a complete player, and Votto in his own right, is pretty much cut from the same mold.

    It's worth the price of a ticket just to go see Joey Votto make four or five trips to the plate alone.
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