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.

May 19, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Cincinnati Reds right fielder Jay Bruce (32) is congratulated by bench coach Chris Speier (35) after hitting home run in the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Whatever you want to call him, this is the Bruce we love to see come to the plate. More confident, keener eye, and above all run producer.

In this hitting streak Bruce is showing a slash line of .400/.417/.889/1.306. This includes 18 H, 5 HR, 7 2B and 14 RBI. Oh, and only 10 strikeouts, which as you can clearly see is less than one per game. Although he still leads the league in whiffs, it is attributable to his 48 in the first 33 games.

His 16 doubles leads the National League after the first quarter of the 2013 season. His season batting average is now a respectable .284. During his recent ride on the roller coaster, Bruce has failed to drive in a run only twice in the 11 games. In four of them he has driven in at least two runs, and has had multiple hits in six.

If you have watched the Reds for the past few years, you know that this metamorphosis is not uncommon at all. It will occur two or three times a year, and when it does he usually wins MLB awards: player of the month, week, etc. We have learned, yet not accepted the fact that we must take the bad rides with the good.

The team is also winning while he is performing in his potent mode. In the current hitting streak the Reds are 8-3 which is roughly 73 percent. I’ll take that anytime!

In games when he gets at least one hit, the Reds are 24-11. When he is hitless the team has won only three games thus far. On Bruce’s multi-hit games they have a record of 12-3. I am not saying that “so goes Bruce, so go the Reds.” But the win column sure seems to move in an upward trajectory while he is Jekyll and not Jay Hyde.

Bruce had a similar 11-game streak going in May of 2012. On those games he batted .415 with 7 HR and 14 RBI. In 2011 he had a terrific 14-game run (not a hitting streak) where he batted .417 with 9 HR and 22 batted in.

As a Reds’ fan all you can do is enjoy it when it comes, because when she ends, she ends suddenly. God bless Jay Bruce and God bless the Cincinnati Reds.

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