What to do w Joey Votto

[Alabama Red]

He needs to be moved to 7th in the order. If everyone was playing to their capabilities that’s probably be where he would be batting today. We have so many holes in this lineup we’re not going to fill it up with a bunch of all stars. Since Votto has a contract and has been a career Red you keep him. Somebody has to bat at the back end of the order. I think the Reds will probably buy him out after the next year or so and he will retire.

[Kc61]

Votto still has a .347 OBP. He still gets on base. He’ll be around for awhile. He should be the every day DH, assuming NL continues with the rule.

Reds must reduce the number of DH-types playing defense. Several moves are indicated. But first, Moustakas should move to first and Votto to permanent DH.

Where Votto hits in the batting order depends on the rest of the lineup. The current lineup is so shallow that it’s not surprising he hits first.

[CySeymour]

He needs to be moved to 7th in the order. If everyone was playing to their capabilities that’s probably be where he would be batting today. We have so many holes in this lineup we’re not going to fill it up with a bunch of all stars. Since Votto has a contract and has been a career Red you keep him. Somebody has to bat at the back end of the order. I think the Reds will probably buy him out after the next year or so and he will retire.

He won’t retire until the contract is up. The Reds really can’t buy him out, just release him and eat the remainder of his contract.

[blumj]

I've been expecting MLB to use agreeing to NL DH as a negotiating tactic for the next CBA

[Kc61]

Votto has a 104 wRC+. That’s about league average hitting production.

For a first baseman, you’d want more, sure. But the Reds have much more serous problems with their offense.

[bing]

Votto has a 104 wRC+. That’s about league average hitting production.

For a first baseman, you’d want more, sure. But the Reds have much more serous problems with their offense.

I'm surprised he walks as much as he does at this point. Id think pitchers would start coming at him much harder and make him hit. I dont think that he's shown that he is going to hit for average or a ton of power.

[malcontent]

I'm surprised he walks as much as he does at this point. Id think pitchers would start coming at him much harder and make him hit. I dont think that he's shown that he is going to hit for average or a ton of power.

Especially when he had reverted to the approach which didn't work for the first four months of last year.

And the coaching staff apparently had zero problems with him reverting back to it for over half the games this year.

Actually, now that I think about it, the "benching" for three games may suggest that they had tried (gently, of course) to get him to change his approach, without success.

[WVRedsFan]

I'm surprised he walks as much as he does at this point. Id think pitchers would start coming at him much harder and make him hit. I dont think that he's shown that he is going to hit for average or a ton of power.

That's the problem. No hits, but I think it's a product of lineup and using the Little League method of the manager. A hundred moves a game is exhausting to fans and probably players as well

[klw]

Votto's home/away splits this year are insane!

https://www.baseball-reference.com/p...&year=2020&t=b

Split	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	BAbip	tOPS+	sOPS+
Home	18	76	63	14	23	3	0	6	12	13	8	.365	.474	.698	1.172	.347	204	204
Away	17	68	59	6	5	2	0	0	0	9	15	.085	.206	.119	.325	.114	-12	-6

So at home he is Bonds circa 2003, on the road Aaron Harang.

[bing]

Votto's home/away splits this year are insane!

https://www.baseball-reference.com/p...&year=2020&t=b

Split	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	BAbip	tOPS+	sOPS+
Home	18	76	63	14	23	3	0	6	12	13	8	.365	.474	.698	1.172	.347	204	204
Away	17	68	59	6	5	2	0	0	0	9	15	.085	.206	.119	.325	.114	-12	-6

So at home he is Bonds circa 2003, on the road Aaron Harang.

H/A split clearly isn't part of the David Bell Analytics Model. seems to be a this year only thing. So may be sample size problems. Although its a pretty striking difference.

[madeirawood]

H/A split clearly isn't part of the David Bell Analytics Model. seems to be a this year only thing. So may be sample size problems. Although its a pretty striking difference.

That certainly is amazing. And not one RBI on the road.

[mth123]

Very short season, split down further makes it a really small sample. Look at the BABIP. I think its just random.

[Patrick Bateman]

Stylistically, including with players very susceptible to shift, I expect that the team should be below average, somewhere in the 20-30 range.

They should not be like 4 standard deviations below every other team in baseball the last 10 years.

That's the bad luck part, and it is quite extreme.

[jup]

An except from an Athletic article:

“I haven’t been excited for baseball going down the stretch in a long time, and that’s not a good thing,” Votto said. “That’s not a good thing wearing a uniform that I love to wear, to play in a stadium that I love to play at, and obviously when the fans are here, playing in front of great Cincinnati fans. But I haven’t done that in a long time.

“It’s been … you get used to it in a bad way, if that makes sense. You don’t get used to it, but you get used to it, if that makes sense. You can’t stay angry endlessly, so you’re thinking to yourself, ‘OK, I have to do well, and I hope we do well.’ And then year after year, you just continue to play collectively poorly, and not win and be out of it so early, and you’re like ‘ugh.’ And in the most unhealthy sort of way, you get acclimated to it.

“All of the years where we were successful earlier in my career, I got used to winning and the inverse. You just show up and, of course, we were going to clinch. Of course, we were going to win the division. Of course, we were going to play well collectively. You get used to it, and it feels so good to be playing meaningful games because if anybody were to throw a uniform on and play any sport, be competitive in anything, it feels so much better to feel like you have a shot, to feel like the games are meaningful, to feel like you’re playing in front of people that care. It feels great. It feels great.

“And by the way, I don’t want it to come across like I was a content loser or comfortable loser. It wasn’t that way at all, by any means. It’s frustrating each and every year. Very clearly, it just creeps up on you. It just creeps up on you, and you just have to do your best to fight it off.”

[klw]

An except from an Athletic article:

“I haven’t been excited for baseball going down the stretch in a long time, and that’s not a good thing,” Votto said. “That’s not a good thing wearing a uniform that I love to wear, to play in a stadium that I love to play at, and obviously when the fans are here, playing in front of great Cincinnati fans. But I haven’t done that in a long time.

“It’s been … you get used to it in a bad way, if that makes sense. You don’t get used to it, but you get used to it, if that makes sense. You can’t stay angry endlessly, so you’re thinking to yourself, ‘OK, I have to do well, and I hope we do well.’ And then year after year, you just continue to play collectively poorly, and not win and be out of it so early, and you’re like ‘ugh.’ And in the most unhealthy sort of way, you get acclimated to it.

“All of the years where we were successful earlier in my career, I got used to winning and the inverse. You just show up and, of course, we were going to clinch. Of course, we were going to win the division. Of course, we were going to play well collectively. You get used to it, and it feels so good to be playing meaningful games because if anybody were to throw a uniform on and play any sport, be competitive in anything, it feels so much better to feel like you have a shot, to feel like the games are meaningful, to feel like you’re playing in front of people that care. It feels great. It feels great.

“And by the way, I don’t want it to come across like I was a content loser or comfortable loser. It wasn’t that way at all, by any means. It’s frustrating each and every year. Very clearly, it just creeps up on you. It just creeps up on you, and you just have to do your best to fight it off.”

Short version:
Losing is a disease...
...as contagious as polio.
Losing is a disease...
...as contagious as syphilis.
Losing is a disease...
...as contagious as bubonic plague...
... attacking one...
... but infecting all.
Now, I want you to imagine...
...you are on a ship at sea...
...on a vast...
...calm ocean...
...gently rocking.
Gently rocking.
Gently rocking.
Gently rocking.