Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto wins post-season award

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto wins Best Player-Fan Interaction Award.

Joey Votto has received some undeserved criticism nationally as the face of the Cincinnati Reds.  Votto comes off as a distant, stoic player sometimes.  Sometimes, though, he really connects with a fan.

This is the case of Votto and Walter Herbert.  Votto and Herbert built a special bond.  It was so strong that when Votto hit a home run on August 31st in a game against the New York Mets, he gave Herbert a high five and the jersey that he wore that game.

Herbert had the nickname Superbubz.  He was battling cancer and was overjoyed with Votto’s interaction.  This interaction won the award, but it was more than just that,

Superbubz passed away on October 6 after battling neuoblastoma for two years.  Votto was among the hundreds of supporters of the family that came to say his last respects.  The sentiment was shared across Reds’ country.

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In discussing this award Votto mentioned how special his relationship with Herbert was and how special it was to hit a home run and celebrate that day.  The time and depth of Herbert’s connection clearly impacted the MVP runner-up.  He relished the opportunity to get to know Herbert.  This is how Votto won the Best Player-Fan Interaction Award.

In addition to his special relationshop with Superbubz, Joey Votto had a great season on the field for the Cincinnati Reds.

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Votto finished second in one of the closest NL MVP award votes.  Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins won the award.  Charlie Blackmon of the Colorado Rockies was also in the mix.

Votto was an on-base machine in 2017.  He led the NL in walks, OBP and OPS.  He also had a great season in batting average and runs scored.

Votto was also one of four Reds who was a Gold Glove finalist.  In addition to Votto, catcher Tucker Barnhart, left fielder Adam Duvall, and center fielder Billy Hamilton were all finalists. Only Barnhart won the award.

For his part Votto followed up his worst defensive year in his MLB career with his best.  He only committed four errors.  He also had his best fielding percentage at .997.

Votto had the third most putouts of his career at 1,227.  That is somewhat dependent on how the team pitches and fields, as Votto plays first.  He also had his second most assists at 165.

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The great secret about Votto is that he wants to get better at everything, the on and off of the field.  That passion has allowed him to work on his play on the field and his interaction off of it.  Votto deserves all of the awards that come his way.