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Cincinnati Reds’ first baseman Joey Votto makes run at MVP

By Nick Vorholt

Sep 10, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto (19) hits a solo home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at PNC Park. The Reds won 8-7. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 10, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto (19) hits a solo home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at PNC Park. The Reds won 8-7. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Joey Votto is ready to eclipse his 2010 season with little support from other Cincinnati Reds.

2016 has been a frustrating season for all of the Cincinnati Reds.  It has been no different for Joey Votto.  He started the season batting .252 in the first half of the season.  Since the All-Star Game, he has hit .418 with an OBP of .509.  No, that is not a typo.

He is currently fourth in the National League in batting average with a .315 average.  So far in September, he is batting .394.  These are Barry Bonds-esque numbers.  Only Daniel Murphy, DJ LeMahieu, and Cory Seager are ahead of him in batting average.

Votto’s .433 OBP is second in MLB to Mike Trout., period.  When comparing Votto to the American League, he is tied for ninth in batting average in all of MLB.  It isn’t has though he is just walking every time up, either.  He is 23rd in MLB in slugging percentage.

His batting average, OBP, and OPS are all higher than his 2010 MVP numbers.  His slugging is just a touch lower.  If he keeps hitting .418 the rest of the way, that number will beat his MVP year.  The question is whether he should be in the MVP discussion.

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His main competitors are not Chicago Cubs.

In the NL he has two main blocks to winning the MVP.  The first is Daniel Murphy.  He is leading the league in batting average and is second in RBI with over 100.  Murphy is doing this for the first place Washington Nationals after a play-off explosion for the New York Mets last off-season.  As a second baseman, his stats appear all the more impressive.

A. Joey Votto gets a solid A as an MVP prospect.  Thanks to continued presence of Adrian Gonzalez and Paul Goldschmidt, Votto isn’t likely to repeat his 2011Gold Glove Award.  He is still above average at first and is the elite on-base man in the entire National League.  He gets on base almost as much as Barry Bonds did, but without the threat of going deep every time.. 1B. Cincinnati Reds. JOEY VOTTO

The other person standing in his way and, perhaps more so, is Nolan Arenado.  The third baseman for Colorado is all but guaranteed to win the Gold Glove award and is third in WAR in the NL.  His defensive WAR of 2.3 is third in the NL behind only Addison Russell and Brandon Crawford.  Those are two defensive elite shortstops, but not in the offensive league of Arenado.

Then there is Arenado’s offensive output.  He is leading the NL in both home runs and RBI.  Arenado walks, strikeouts, and sees fewer pitches than Votto.  He is very much in the see the ball, hit the ball mode of hitting.  Arenado actually has more hits than Votto, while batting below .300, because he has had 70 more at-bats already this season.

Next: Cincinnati Reds face the Jose Peraza decision

The chances of Votto winning the MVP this year are slim.  He has been great, but not as dominating as Andre Dawson in 1987.  Of course, what do I know?  I was all for the Cincinnati Reds trading Votto before the deadline.  His only chance is winning the batting title and OBP title in one run up to the end of the season.

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