With a left-handed swing that appears built upon harmonic convergences of contact, power, ability to spray baseballs to all fields along with an uncanny knack for picking strikes from balls, Joey Votto is doing things with a bat that are fast becoming difficult to describe without hyperbolic meltdown.
The Reds’ first baseman was busy again Monday, not only hitting his 24th home run of the season -- most of his 11-year career before an All-Star Game -- to tie the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger for the National League lead, but adding to the solo shot with a sacrifice fly. He has 62 RBI now, and a whopping .427 on-base percentage.
To say people are noticing is like suggesting that astronauts fly kinda high.
Twitter practically exploded Monday with Votto-isms, like this one @SNstats about the Toronto native:
#Reds Joey Votto becomes the 4th Canadian in MLB history with 1,500 career hits
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) July 4, 2017
Speaking of 1,500 career hits, Votto, drafted in the second round by the Reds in 2002 before joining the MLB club in 2007, stands remarkably well within the Reds’ organization as well, as pointed out here
UPDATE: Fewest at-bats to reach 1500 hits with #Reds
— Joel Luckhaupt (@jluckhaupt) July 4, 2017
Edd Roush 4440
Joey Votto 4793
Pete Rose 4840
Frank Robinson 4942
Vada Pinson 4979
There was also this one @RedsTrump, whatever that might be:
Joey Votto has just launched another missile. Does this guy have anything better to do with his life? Hard to believe that the Rockies.....
— Reds J. Trump (@RedsTrump) July 4, 2017
One day after being named to his fifth All-Star Game, the 2010 NL MVP fetched this from the Great White North @CDNBaseballHOF:
Joey Votto has tied @Cdnmooselips33 for most career All-Star games by Canadian @Reds @baseballcanada @SNstats pic.twitter.com/TgZhORct0C
— CDN Baseball HOF (@CDNBaseballHOF) July 3, 2017
Check out this Tweet @ckamka, which notes remarkable Karma over the past season's worth of MLB games played by No. 19:
Joey Votto last 162 games:
— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) July 3, 2017
.359/.459/.638, 118 Runs, 208 Hits, 41 Doubles, 2 Triples, 39 HR, 117 RBI, 112 BB, 81 K #Reds
Surely, this was something of a twisted compliment from the Colorado folks, but before last night's game was even completed there came this @rockies_daily:
4 game set vs the Reds. Joey Votto will be a Rockie killer this series but we'll prevail and take 3/4.
— Rockies Daily (@rockies_daily) July 3, 2017
All of this reminds of the recent discovery of a local sports, Steve Colyer, who doubles as an assistant baseball coach at Western Hills High, producer of one Pete Rose. Check out one of his latest works, @StevieC2324:
Joey!!! Needs to be in the Homerun Derby in Miami! @Reds #votto #stencilart #artwork! pic.twitter.com/8qmENBfM11
— Steve Colyer (@StevieC2324) June 30, 2017
Maybe it’s no wonder; who knows better when to swing and when not to swing? Duh! Joey Votto, that’s who! With 56 walks and just 39 strikeouts to date (a great number, followed by an other-worldly digit for a slugger), he’s not fishing for any stinking 3-0 pitches.
Oh wait! As noted @shonkerr by ShaunInCo:
Love how Votto swings on a 3-0 count for 2nd AB in a row, & hits a HR. #Reds
— ShaunInCO (@shonkerr) July 4, 2017
Oh, nevermind. As seen in this item last night/earlier this morning in the Dayton Daily News, so many people have the Reds' first basemen in their lenses. Cubs pitcher Jake Arietta sees what's happening.
Really, there are no mo’ words applicable to Votto.
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