Cincinnati Reds: Five current players most likely to make the Hall of Fame

1. Joey Votto, First baseman

Joey Votto is unquestionably the most likely player on the current Reds roster to be selected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. While his play has fallen off over the past two seasons, a bounce-back season or two could make his inclusion in Cooperstown a near certainty. Even if we never see Votto return to the player he once was, his body of work speaks for itself.

Today’s fans are so obsessed with the player that Joey Votto is that they’ve forgotten who he was. We’re talking about a former MVP who should’ve won the award twice. Votto finished second in 2017 to Giancarlo Stanton. Votto led the league in on-base percentage in seven of his 13 years in the league and for his career has an OBP of .421.

Former Reds great Tony Perez has a career slash line of .279/.341/.463 with 379 home runs and 1,562 RBIs over a 23-year career. According to Baseball Reference, Perez has 54.0 WAR. Votto, entering his 14th major league season, has a slash line of .307/.421/.519 with 284 homers and 944 RBIs. Joey’s WAR of 62.0 has already surpassed the Big Doggie.

Perez was elected to the Hall of Fame during his ninth year on the ballot, and I’d expect a similar path to Cooperstown for Joey Votto. Unless the Reds first basemen has a renaissance over the final four years of his current contract, it’s highly unlikely that he’ll be elected to the Hall of Fame during his first year on the ballot.

While early in his career Joey Votto looked like a surefire Hall of Famer, the detractors have come out in droves over the past two seasons. For the better part of a decade, Votto was unquestionably the best player on the Cincinnati Reds and one of the best in the game, period! Votto has finished in the Top 7 of the NL MVP voting on six different occasions.

A return to the playoffs and a solid season would do a lot for Votto’s case to make the Hall of Fame. His story is not yet complete, but former MVP is already in the conversation. Votto’s patience at the dish has changed the way a lot of players approach the game. While some are not a fan of Joey’s reluctance to swing away, his keen eye has helped him become one of the best hitters in the game.