Cincinnati Reds: Joey Votto is not at MVP-level, but still very good

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto has not been at the same level he was in 2017, but he’s still playing at a very high level.

Joey Votto knocked his 10th home run of the season over the wall in right field yesterday for a grand slam during a 7-run second inning against the San Diego Padres. The game was cut short by the weather but the Cincinnati Reds still emerged victoriously. Votto hasn’t played at the MVP-level that he did last season, but he’s still playing very, very well.

As the Cincinnati Reds season slowly comes to a close, Votto was finally able to hit double-digit homers for the fourth consecutive season. It was his 10th in the last 11 seasons with 10 or more round-trippers. Votto was limited to just 62 games in 2014, a season in which he finished with only 6 home runs.

Joey Votto has been in the discussion for National League MVP over the last 3 seasons, but that won’t be the case in 2018. Votto won the NL MVP in 2010, came in No. 3 in 2015 and No. 2 last season.

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Last year, Votto led the National League on-base percentage, walks, offensive win percentage, intentional base on balls, and OPS. He came in just behind Giancarlo Stanton in the race for NL MVP.

Fast forward to this season, and Joey still leads the National League in on-base percentage at .421. He’s hitting .283 with 10 home runs and 61 runs batted in. Votto did miss several games just a few weeks ago after being plunked by Washington Nationals, now Los Angeles Dodgers, reliever Ryan Madson.

It’s true that Votto’s power numbers are down from last season, in fact, his slugging percentage is the lowest of his career outside of the injury-plagued 2014 season. However, his strikeout numbers are still well below 2015 and 2016, even with the week-plus on the DL. Votto is also on pace for drawing more walks this season than in 2015 in several fewer at-bats.

It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Cincinnati Reds look to move Votto up in the batting order heading into the 2019 season. The No. 2 hole could fit someone with Votto’s OBP very nicely. Outside of that, I don’t see much changing for Votto heading into the offseason.

Votto earned his sixth trip to the All-Star Game this season and hit a homer in the Midsummer Classic to boot. While it may be true, it’s hard to say Votto’s declining in production. He’s just spoiled us over the years.