May 22, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Votto hits a single against the New York Mets during the seventh inning of a game at Citi Field. (Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)

Apologies to Mike Chapman and Nicky Penn, the duo that penned the 80′s smash Mickey, for the slight “editing” from the first line of the tune, but it is true. Joey Votto is fine. Depends on your definition of fine, of course.

To some, it could refer to his handsomely good looks. Well, I know of a few that believe that’s the case.

Others may look at Votto as spew forth praises for his humble, quiet and unassuming nature.

We could deliberate the status of his surgically repaired knee. It appears that all is well there, too.

But when you hear “Joey Votto”, the following words, in some form, flow: “one of, if not the best hitter in baseball”. And it is honestly no wonder.

If you haven’t taken the opportunity to Jerry Crasnick’s excellent article on ESPN.com about Votto, you are truly missing a fine piece. Yes, I said fine. Within the contents, Crasnick notes a chance “meeting” that took place early in Votto’s career.

Several years ago, Votto was standing in the on-deck circle at Great American Ball Park while Pete Rose was watching from a box seat. The two men struck up a conversation, and the Hit King passed along a few pearls of wisdom that resonated. Among other things, he told Votto that it’s no sin to reach for the last cookie in the jar. Rose would never have amassed 4,256 hits if he didn’t have a touch of the greed-monger in him.

And like that, the torch is passed.

There is significantly more to Crasnick’s article, and, again, it is a highly recommended read. He talks about the professional relationship between Votto and Shin-Soo Choo and the history they have a chance to duplicate. There are excellent quotes from Votto, his teammates and Dusty.

At the beginning of the article is a video from Eric Karabell and David Schoenfield that is watch-worthy. Take a few minutes to set aside to read the article and view the vid.

The superlatives for Votto are endless. Just today, SI.com released its newest MLB power rankings. While I personally have no liking of such, what Joe Lemire notes in ranking the Reds #2 tells us that if Joey leads the NL in on-base percentage this season, he will have done so for four consecutive season. There is a select group he would join: Barry Bonds, Wade Boggs, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig and Rogers Hornsby. Four in the Hall of Fame and the one, well, that’s another discussion/debate for another day.

No one would doubt that Votto was not Votto-like once he returned and might not have been at the onset to this season.

But for today, or even for the past few days, a question that has to be on the mind of some baseball fans (not just Reds fans) is a simple one. Can Votto regain his 2010 form which brought him the NL MVP? This was asked by Kyle Sullender of Players View.

While his question was from a couple of days ago, there are some valid points Sullender makes. No one can deny that Votto’s RBI count is down. Crasnick even notes that there are a few players with more RBI than Votto that you might not suspect. Home run number isn’t where some feel it should be, but the production is. In 42 less plate appearances in May, Votto has as many RBI than he did in April (11). He has one less home run in May (3) than last month (4). All three for this month came during the recently completed road trip.

You know. The road trip where he slashed for .559/.651/.882 with those three big flies, drove in 7 and scored 12 runs…

Now that I think about it, maybe the question needs to be re-phrased. Is Votto back to that 2010 form? Or maybe this question. Has Votto surpassed his 2010 form?

I ask that last question because of where Votto was last season when that whole meniscus thing occurred. He had produced a triple slash of .342/.465/.604 with 14 home runs and 49 RBI. He was on pace to set the record for doubles in a season with 36 at the time and was issued 66 walks. Even then, Votto’s name was being mentioned as a potential NL MVP candidate.

I know, the HR and RBI totals make that last one a stretch because it seems they do hold meaning to those which vote for such things as MVP awards.

Worth noting, and a referral back to the video from Karabell and Schoenfield, comes from BRM Twitter follower Nick Kirby.

The only other NL player with an OPS over 1.000 is Troy Tulowitzki (1.014).

I think Votto is doing all right.

One last reference to Crasnick, Rose told Votto that you play for yourself and compete for your team.

I’ll take it. That’s fine with me.

May 20, 2013; Flushing, NY,USA; Marshall (45) delivers a pitch during the seventh inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. (Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports)

I’m sure some were thinking this. In the 7th, Reds starter Mat Latos served up two runs as the Mets would tie the game. In the inning, Latos face three consecutive lefty bats (pinch-hitter Jordany Valdespin, Daniel Murphy and Rick Ankiel).

The question: where’s Sean Marshall? Answer: not available.

Seems like Marshall’s shoulder was “cranky”, this according to Mark Sheldon.

During pregame, Marshall’s shoulder did not take well to throwing and there is the possibility inflammation has set within the shoulder. Dusty would have used Marshall to face Ankiel.

Here’s Marshall…

“We were kind of erring on the side of caution. I told them I was a little bit sore,” Marshall said. “I did a little bit of exercise after the game. With this extra day of rest [Thursday], I will be back to how I’ve been feeling.”

I wish there was a silver lining here. I wish I had a positive spin on this, but truthfully, there isn’t. Marshall was a key cog in last season’s bullpen and his use has been a bit sparse since his return from the disabled list.

Oh…and it looks like Manny Parra could return. If Marshall’s shoulder doesn’t respond to the off-day and must once again hit the DL…

I don’t want to think about it.

From 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Durango works out prior to the game against the New York Yankees. Durango has played well since joining Pensacola. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

Anyway, three of the affiliates were in action on Tuesday and only one played yesterday. Of the four games, the Reds farm managed to win three. Louisville got back to .500. Bakersfield continues their roll. Dayton won by a big fly.

Pensacola’s offensive struggles continue, but one player is making a nice contribution to the Blue Wahoos offense even though he’s been with the team for only 8 games.

Here’s your look at all four games from the past two days.

Louisville Bats

Tuesday – Bats 6, G-Braves 2 (Box)

W: Reineke (4-3, 3.88) ; L: Poveda (3-3, 2.52)
HR: LOU: Hessman (9) , Miller, C (3)

Mike Hessman hit his team-leading 9th home run of the season and rove in two. Felix Perez drove in a pair as well to provide Chad Reineke all the offense he and the Bats would need. Reineke went 7 innings and allowed only 2 runs on 6 hits.

Next Game: 5/23 v. Pawtucket, 6:35 PM ET. Tony Cingrani (1-0, 0.00) garners his first start since being being optioned back to Louisville.

Pensacola Blue Wahoos

Tuesday – BayBears 4, Blue Wahoos 2 (Box)

W: Hagens (5-3, 2.91) ; L: Crabbe (2-3, 2.88)
HR: None

The Blue Wahoos dropped their 4th straight game, but not without a fight. Entering the 9th inning, they were staring at a 4-0 deficit. Even with 2 outs,m they kept plugging away, but scoring 2 was not enough. Luis Durango had a pair of hits and is hitting .318 since joining the club a little over a week ago.

Next Game: 5/23 @ Chattanooga, 7:15 PM ET. Chad Rogers (2-2, 2.18) takes the mound.

Bakersfield Blaze

Tuesday – Mavericks 10, Blaze 12 (Box)

W: McMyne (1-2, 5.79) ; L: Brazis (2-1, 6.00)
HR: HD: Choi, J (6) , Blash (10) . BAK: Waldrop (9) , Wright, R 2 (4)

A wild one at Sam Lynn on Tuesday night. Or was it Wednesday morning?

Ryan Wright clubbed 2 homers and had 3 RBI. Kyle Walrop hit a homer and drove in 2 teammates. Juan Silverio was 2-for-5 with 2 RBI and Marquez Smith was 3-for-5 at the plate with 2 RBI as well. Mike McMyne picked up his first win of the season. The win marked a sweep of the Mavericks and the 5th straight win for Ken Griffey‘s bunch.

Needless to say, neither team had their starters around for too long in this one.

Next Game: 5/23 v. Stockton, 10:30 PM ET. Jonny Moscot (1-6, 5.77) will look for his second consecutive win.

Dayton Dragons

Wednesday – Whitecaps 4, Dragons 6 (Box)

W: Housey (1-1, 9.00) ; L: Turley (5-2, 2.57) ; SV: Lucas (4)
HR: DAY: Winker (7)

Deuces were wild in last night’s meeting between West Michigan and Dayton, but the wildest deuce came in the Dragons half of the 8th.

With the score knotted at 4-4, Jesse Winker, maybe the hottest hitter among all hitters on any Reds minor league roster, smashed a game-winning two-run home run to provide Dayton with its final margin of victory.

Next Game: 5/23 v. West Michigan, 7:00 PM ET. Drew Cisco (2-3, 2.88) looks to even up his 2013 record.

Transactions

Kyle Lotzkar – assigned to Bakersfield from Pensacola
Wagner Gomez – assigned to Reds extended spring training from Dayton