"I was a very dangerous hitter, a real threat" - Joey Votto weighs in on whether he should be considered a Hall of Famer as 6-time MLB All-Star
MLB insider Ken Rosenthal recently talked to former Cincinnati Reds hitter Joey Votto about his chances of being a Hall of Famer. Votto is the second Canadian to record 2000 hits, 300 home runs and 1000 RBIs in MLB history after Larry Walker.
Votto spent all of his 17 seasons in the major leagues representing the Reds and has a career batting average of .294 with 356 total home runs. He is a six-time All-Star and has also won an NL MVP (2010) and a Gold Glove award (2011).
In Friday's episode of "Foul Territory,' when asked if he shuld be a Hall of Famer by Rosenthal, Votto responded:
"[0:11] It depends on how people perceive my position. I didn't even have 400 home runs, let alone 500. I probably didn't have a lot of RBIs. I didn't have 500 doubles. I didn't hit .300, and at first base often times players want that."
"I'm one of those efficient players as far as WRC+ and I've got a nice little WAR and I had a pretty efficient style of play. Everyone has their own flavour. I say with confidence, I was a very tough out, and I was a very dangerous hitter. I was a real threat, and I was consistent with that, I did it for a long time. Prided myself on defence, I learned a lot and improved as a base runner. But, am I a hall of famer? It's subjective," Votto added.
Joey Votto announces retirement after 17 MLB seasons
Cincinnati Reds legend Joey Votto officially announced his retirement from baseball after 17 seasons via a post on Instagram. In the caption, he thanked everyone who was part of his baseball journey including his family, friends, teammates, the Cincinnati Reds organization and the fans.
In his rookie year in the big leagues, Joey Votto finished runner-up for the Rookie of the Year award and was named NL MVP in 2010. In his 17 years of service for the Reds, he experienced it all: the highs of winning divisional titles and the lows of finishing bottom of their division, before ultimately leaving in 2023 as injuries plagued the twilight of his career.
Originally hailing from Toronto, Votto tried to make a homecoming by signing a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. However, he struggled with his new team and never made it back to the major leagues.
Despite not smashing home runs left, right and center, Joey Votto is considered one of the best Reds players in the 21st century and remains hopeful of being inducted into the Hall of Fame.