Cincinnati Reds: Joey Votto’s surge is the catalyst for a winning streak

Joey Votto is swinging the hottest bat on the team right now. Over the last 7 games, the Cincinnati Reds’ first baseman has had 5 multi-hit games.

Joey Votto is on another level right. No, the power isn’t there, but that’s okay. While the Cincinnati Reds have played above .500 since the atrocious 1-8 start, if they hope to get into serious contention for the playoffs, a winning streak is essential. For the Reds to do that, this latest version of Joey Votto is the catalyst.

The Cincinnati Reds’ first baseman is on a seven-game hitting streak and has been on base in every game he’s played since May 8th. On May 10th, Votto’s batting average was barely above the Mendoza line, sitting at .206 and 34 strikeouts. All of Reds Country was getting very nervous. Was this it? Was this the version of Joey Votto we’d be forced to watch over the next 3-4 years?

Why do we doubt Joey Votto? Haven’t we learned our lesson over the years? I guess not. I’m a huge fan of the cerebral approach that Votto takes every time he steps up to the plate. But I’ll be honest, though I wasn’t ready to hit the panic button, even I was getting a little squeamish every time No. 19 stepped up to the plate.

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Personally, I think that Votto’s early season struggles were a product of two things; his spot in the batting order and the pressure to perform. Let’s address the latter first. You might look at that sentence and laugh. How in the world can a former NL MVP feel pressure to perform?

Let’s be real folks. Do you honestly think that anyone is more critical of Joey Votto than Joey Votto himself? The team that Dick Williams and Nick Krall have constructed gave Votto the most talent he’d seen on a Cincinnati Reds’ team since Jay Bruce and Johnny Cueto left town.

Joey Votto knows how talented this team is. He also knows that he is the leader of this team. While Eugenio Suárez may be the Reds’ best player, Joey is still the face of the franchise and the clubhouse leader. He knows that he has to set the tone. I think Votto was pressing early this season in order to get the team to follow his lead.

A more relaxed Joey Votto has been doing his best to put the team on his back. While a lot of fans will focus on the theatrics of Derek Dietrich, Votto has quietly put together a nice seven-game hitting streak. Votto has collected 15 hits in 31 at-bats, and most amazingly has only walked once.

Votto is very well known for his penchant to take what the pitchers give him. Votto has led the league in walks on five different occasions. However, of late, Votto is swinging the bat and it’s paying dividends for him. Over the last 7 games, Joey Votto is slashing .484/.485/.548.

Another big change for Joey Votto during the month of May was his spot in the batting order. David Bell tinkered with the lineup early and often to begin the 2019 season and decided on several occasions to bat Joey in the leadoff spot. I can’t be too critical of the Reds’ skipper for that. After all, Votto has led the league in on-base percentage seven of the last nine seasons.

But, it never seemed like Votto felt comfortable in that spot as the team’s table setter. Votto hit .161 with a .288 on-base percentage during the 15 games in which he batted leadoff. Since being moved into the No. 2 hole on a more permanent basis, the six-time All-Star seems to have found his groove.

A lot of credit for that needs to go to rookie center fielder Nick Senzel. Senzel has embraced the role of leadoff and has done a bang up job lately. Senzel offers power, speed, and a penchant for getting on base. The Cincinnati Reds’ rookie has a .429 OBP and is hitting .387 in his last 7 games.

For this Cincinnati Reds team to be successful, Joey Votto has to lead. He doesn’t need to be the best player on the team anymore, but he needs to get on base routinely, score runs, and play solid defense. With Suárez, Dietrich, and Yasiel Puig hitting behind him, there are plenty of big bats on this team to drive in runs.

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Joey Votto is not the power hitter that he’s been in the past and Reds’ fans need to accept that. However, this latest version of Votto is still quite capable of being a key component to this year’s team. The Cincinnati Reds need to string together five or more wins in order to become relevant threat to make the playoffs. Joey Votto needs to be the catalyst in order to make that happen.

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