Why Joey Votto Should Be Criticized

Alright, so since this is my first article on this site I cannot wait to show all of you readers out there what kind of a cynical writer that I am. So for my first article, I am going to take on the ridiculous fact vs. opinion case that Joey Votto actually had a good season. So to start off, anyone in their right mind who thinks Joey Votto had a “good” season, obviously does not know baseball as well as they think they do. So, without further adieu, let me break this down.

Batting Average

Mr. Votto this past season batted .305. Yes I understand that it is a plus .300 average and that it is quite an accomplishment, but for Joey Votto, not so much. In fact, this was the lowest average he has had since his first full season in the league (2008) at .297.

Now for all you people who don’t know baseball as well as you think you do, and for those people who believe he should win MVP, why not take a look at his average when he won MVP. When Votto won MVP in 2010 he batted .324, a good 19 points higher than this past season.

So in terms of batting average, this season was a disappointment.

Runs Batted In

Now the biggest argument that I have heard this year consists of two very ignorant comments.

1) RBI’s are not that important.

2) He was not paid to drive them in.

Both of those comments above are absolutely ridiculous. So to prove my point, how about we take a look at the guys who are paid 200+ million dollars and their RBI numbers.

Alex Rodriguez – Besides PED’s this machine was known for hitting home runs and driving in runs.  In his last full season (2010, 130+ games) he drove in 122 runs.

Mark Teixeira – In his last full season (130+ games) he drove in 111 runs

Prince Fielder – In 6 of his last seven seasons he has driven in 100+ runs

My point being each of these guys signed at least a 180 million dollar deal and are still more productive than Votto. You are paid the big bucks to drive in runs, not to walk. I bet when Castellini was signing a check for 225 million dollars he wasn’t thinking about walks.

Runners In Scoring Position

As a big name, highly-paid player, typically you, as a player, get clutch or important hits. Joey Votto did not. This past season Votto had 134 At-Bats with Runners in Scoring Position. He had a batting average of .291, which is lower than his regular season average overall, and drove in 50 Runs. Now since there are people trying to give him the MVP award, let’s compare him to someone who most likely will win the award, Miguel Cabrera.

Cabrera with Runners in Scoring position had 156  at-bats, drove in 99 runs, and hit .397.

My point being this past season for Joey Votto was a disaster. I don’t care if people believe walks are the way to go. Walks do not drive in runs. Joey Votto was not a lead off hitter. Joey Votto is a No. 3 hitter. $225,000,000 should be to drive in runs. I don’t see many lead off hitters making that money.