Votto 2021 Thread

[RedTeamGo!]

All things Votto. Positive, negative, neutral. Whatever.

I’ll start with this quote from Votto today:

"Selfishly, I really don't want to come back and celebrate my career. I want to come back and celebrate a championship. ... Truly, that's what I care about. I'd like that experience before I'm done playing, for sure."

This can be taken 1 of 2 ways IMHO:

1.) Votto desperately wants to win a championship in Cincinnati

2.) “I am officially open for a trade to a contender”

Thoughts?

[Reds Loyalist]

Also selfishly, he now states that he is going to focus on homeruns and his power numbers. I guess that he now knows that he needs to get his counting numbers up to get into the HOF. To me, his approach has always been about what benefits him vs. what benefits the team.

[Wonderful Monds]

Also selfishly, he now states that he is going to focus on homeruns and his power numbers. I guess that he now knows that he needs to get his counting numbers up to get into the HOF. To me, his approach has always been about what benefits him vs. what benefits the team.

lmao


If he tries to get on base, he only cares about his OBP for the sake of getting into the hall of fame and doesn’t care about winning or choosing to hit more homers to drive in runners.

If he tries to hit for more power, he suddenly only cares about his counting stats for the sake of getting into the HOF and doesn’t care about winning.


I swear to god there is nothing Joey can do to please Reds fans (or even some of his certain Cy Young winning idiot former teammates!)

[Reds Loyalist]

lmao


If he tries to get on base, he only cares about his OBP for the sake of getting into the hall of fame and doesn’t care about winning or choosing to hit more homers to drive in runners.

If he tries to hit for more power, he suddenly only cares about his counting stats for the sake of getting into the HOF and doesn’t care about winning.


I swear to god there is nothing Joey can do to please Reds fans (or even some of his certain Cy Young winning idiot former teammates!)

The team needed him to get on base last year, they hit just over .200. He switched his philosophy to hitting for power. You may think that he doesn’t know or care that he needs those numbers to come up to get in the HOF. I respectfully disagree. I’m not a Votto hater, I’m just disappointed that he never seemed to be interested in being a team leader. There were teams that he was on that him hitting for power vs. getting on base would’ve benefited the team more but he went for getting on base instead of driving in runs. I know that he’s an all time Reds Great. That doesn’t mean that nobody should ever be able to complain about parts of his game. He’s had times where he disappears mentally running the bases or not hustling. Again,he’s had an awesome career and I wish him much more success but he isn’t some kinda baseball god that you’re not allowed to point out some flaws with.

[tripleaaaron]

You’re right. He does have flaws. But I don’t believe for a minute that he doesn’t have the needs of the team in mind. Some people just aren’t natural leaders (not saying he is or isn’t as I’m not in the locker room) or at least not in the way you want them to be. Some people face conflict with a sense of humor. Votto seems like this type of player. While he may not be a rah-rah, accountability based leader it is also important to have guys that keep the environment light and fun as long as it is appropriate. These people can still be leaders. I’ve promoted managers with this personality many times. I too was this guy. Sometimes they change (like me) and they install the accountability piece that goes with it. Sometimes they don’t but along the way they create a fun environment (again as long as it is at the right time) that teammates enjoy and morale stays high and with that production stays high. Don’t try to fit a square peg into a round hole and don’t undervalue a positive and light personality in the locker room or workplace.

[Reds Loyalist]

You’re right. He does have flaws. But I don’t believe for a minute that he doesn’t have the needs of the team in mind. Some people just aren’t natural leaders (not saying he is or isn’t as I’m not in the locker room) or at least not in the way you want them to be. Some people face conflict with a sense of humor. Votto seems like this type of player. While he may not be a rah-rah, accountability based leader it is also important to have guys that keep the environment light and fun as long as it is appropriate. These people can still be leaders. I’ve promoted managers with this personality many times. I too was this guy. Sometimes they change (like me) and they install the accountability piece that goes with it. Sometimes they don’t but along the way they create a fun environment (again as long as it is at the right time) that teammates enjoy and morale stays high and with that production stays high. Don’t try to fit a square peg into a round hole and don’t undervalue a positive and light personality in the locker room or workplace.

The thing that I always hated and did at the time too was the extension timing. I don’t blame Votto for it but it struck me as a bad business decision for the Reds at the time. He had just won the MVP award and he was already locked up for the next 2 seasons. I would have let the next season play out and you still had a year to extend someone who wasn’t the reigning MVP. Again, smart on Votto’s part but not a good business decision for the Reds in my opinion. His 10 year extension started in 2014. He’s had 3 very good seasons since the extension started.. 15, 16, 17. It’s very possible that they will only get 3 very good years out of 10. In fairness though, Votto was hurt in the first year of the extension. I don’t have unrealistic expectations for Votto. I would rather see him focus on OBP if he’s in the 2 spot vs HRS though. Maybe they should move him to 6 or 7 if that is his new philosophy. I’m not a Votto hater, I just like seeing guys focus on how they can help the team win. I do hope that Votto gets into the HOF one day, he’s borderline but probable right now. I’ve never been a fan of his personality but to each his own on that. I’m more of a franchise fan vs. a certain player fan. I root hard for the team to win and try to follow every game. I do call out players and ownership though. There’s 2 sides to being a fan.

[Griffey012]

I swear to god there is nothing Joey can do to please Reds fans (or even some of his certain Cy Young winning idiot former teammates!)

Oh boy, what did I miss?

[MikeS21]

Oh boy, what did I miss?

I believe he was referring to Trevor Bauer, who seemed to be unhappy with Votto's play. I always believed that the greatest hindrance to the Reds re-signing Bauer was not money, but Votto.

[NebraskaRed]

I believe he was referring to Trevor Bauer, who seemed to be unhappy with Votto's play. I always believed that the greatest hindrance to the Reds re-signing Bauer was not money, but Votto.

Who knows if Votto had something to do with it or not, but the Reds were never going to pay that kind of money to re-sign Bauer no matter what.

[Griffey012]

I believe he was referring to Trevor Bauer, who seemed to be unhappy with Votto's play. I always believed that the greatest hindrance to the Reds re-signing Bauer was not money, but Votto.

How can you say that with a straight face when Bauer just signed a 3 year $102M deal?

[Reds Loyalist]

I believe he was referring to Trevor Bauer, who seemed to be unhappy with Votto's play. I always believed that the greatest hindrance to the Reds re-signing Bauer was not money, but Votto.

And Votto deserved to be called out. Every year Votto cost the Reds a couple of games by not having his head in the game and the fans, players and coaches give him a pass. I don’t really care for Bauer’s personality but he will call anybody out for halfassing it and that’s what Joey did. Some of you guys won’t admit that Joey disappears mentally as a base runner, at first base and probably at the plate too. He’s an awesome talent. Some of us can praise him and call him out, others think that it’s hating on him for being real about it. You can be a fan of someone and still criticize them.

[Ron Madden]

On look another let's bash Joey Votto thread.

We all know how this will turn out.

[RedTeamGo!]

On look another let's bash Joey Votto thread.

We all know that's how this will turn out.

How is this a bash Joey Votto thread?

[Ron Madden]

How is this a bash Joey Votto thread?

You may have started it with good intentions but somehow most Votto threads end up that way.

No offense to you RedTeamGo!

[Ron Madden]

NM