Joey Votto vs. Tony Perez: Who was better in Reds all-time history?

The Cincinnati Reds have certainly had their fair share of all-time greats who've called the Queen City home. Both Tony Pérez and Joey Votto, a couple of long-time corner infield staples, were two of the best to ever do it. But between the two, who was better?

Pérez is a Hall of Famer, seven-time All-Star, and a two-time World Series champion; something Votto doesn't have. In 16 seasons with the Reds, from 1964 to 1976 and then 1984 to 1986, Pérez crafted a .283/.346/.474 slash line with a 45.5 bWAR in 7,630 plate appearances across 1,948 games.

Pérez sits amongst the Top 10 in Reds franchise history in bWAR (45.5), home runs (287), RBI (1,192), hits (1,934), total bases (3,246), games played (1,948), and plate appearances (7,630). Pérez was also one of the pivotal pieces of the "Big Red Machine" in the 1970s — arguably the greatest Reds era of all-time, and one of baseball's greatest teams.

Joey Votto vs. Tony Perez: Who was better in Reds all-time history?

While Pérez and Votto both showed inevitable signs of aging at the end of their careers, Pérez still managed a .866 OPS season in his second-to-last season at age 43, whereas Votto dipped below a .750 OPS and flirted with the Mendoza line each of his final two years with the Reds.

While Votto might not have been part of a World Series champion like Pérez, he led the Reds in his own right from the late 2000s to the early 2020s, bringing them back to the postseason in three of four years from 2010 to 2013; the team's first taste of October baseball since 1995.

He captured NL MVP honors in 2010, and was a finalist on two other occasions in 2015 and 2017. Votto was the runner-up for NL Rookie of the Year Award in 2008, and has six All-Star appearances and a Gold Glove to his name as well. In his 17-year career, all in Cincinnati, he hit .294/.409/.511 with a 63.6 bWAR in 8,746 plate appearances across 2,056 games.

Stacking him amongst other Reds, he sits top five in bWAR (63.6), home runs (356), RBI (1,144), hits (2135), walks (1,365), total bases (3,706), OPS (920), and plate appearances (8,746).

At the end of the day, it's hard not to give Votto the edge in this debate. Besides the MVP, it's difficult to overlook his remarkable slash line and noticeably higher WAR, even if it was aided by a higher amount of plate appearances. However, it feels like there's no wrong answer here.

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