Cincinnati Reds: Joey Votto returning to form in the month of September

No need to worry Cincinnati Reds fans, Joey Votto is still who we thought he was.

Joey Votto is having another amazing season for the Cincinnati Reds. But, when you’ve experienced the kind of success throughout your career that Votto has, it’s easy to be criticized when your production doesn’t match unrealistic expectations. Luckily for Reds fans, Votto, after a hiccup midway through the season, is back to being the All-Star level player we all expect.

Joey Votto is not having the MVP-level season that he enjoyed in 2017, but he’s still playing really, really well. He leads the National League in on-base percentage (.424), and trails only Mike Trout (the best player in baseball) and Mookie Betts (most likely to be AL MVP) in the entire Major Leagues.

After being purposely hit on the right knee by a 96-MPH fastball by Ryan Madson, Votto’s production dipped a little bit. He tried to gut it out but ended up on the disabled list for a couple weeks during the month of August.

Before the injury, Joey was having a solid, but not stellar 2018 campaign. He earned his 6th trip to the All-Star Game, hitting a home run during the Midsummer Classic even. He was hitting .289 and led the NL in OBP at .423. The only part of Joey’s game that appeared to be lacking was the power. He only had 9 home runs through the first 100 games of the season.

In the 10 games following the intentional (notice I still maintain it he was hit on purpose) beaning by Madson, Votto’s performance at the plate suffered. When he was on base, it was obvious that he wasn’t 100%. Votto’s batting average during those 10 games was only .241, though he was still able to keep his on-base percentage high (.395).

In the month of September, Joey Votto is hitting .345 with a .456 on-base percentage. He has 3 home runs, 12 RBIs and a 1.020 OPS. He is playing at an All-Star level in a month that, for all intents and purposes, he could take off. That speaks not only to Votto’s skill, but also his integrity. The dude loves to compete, and compete at an elite level.

Joey Votto is a special player and is a joy to watch. It’s a relief to Reds Country that he’s returned to form, but probably not to the opposing pitchers who were hoping for the opposite. Even in September, with the season lost, don’t expect to see Votto in the dugout. If he’s able to play, Votto will be in the field.