"I really like your swing. It reminds me of Mark Trumbo" - Reds’ Luke Maile shares a hilarious story about Joey Votto's unexpected compliment
Joey Votto enjoyed a wonderful 17 years in the big leagues, all with the Cincinnati Reds. He recently retired last Wednesday on his Instagram, marking the end of an era.
Since he announced his retirement, stories have been coming out left and right that show the fun-loving person Votto was. He was not just a fan favorite in Cincinnati; he was also a lot of professionals' favorite player.
Reds Catcher Luke Maile is no different. He enjoyed the time he spent with Votto in Cincinnati and shared a funny story about when the two faced each other when Maile was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2017.
"He was doing that thing where he like puts the bat between his legs and kind of leans on it, and I'm just trying to make sure that I don't call the wrong pitch to the, what was at the time, the greatest hitter in the game," - said Maile.
Maile remembers trying to lock in and get one of the best hitters in the game at that time out. However, Votto turned to Maile and gave him a rather unexpected compliment.
"He just goes, 'Hey, I really like your swing.' And then he gets back in and fouls off another ball. 'It reminds me of Mark Trumbo.' And he's just having this conversation inbetween pitches with me and I'm like, 'that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me'" - said Maile.
Maile was taken aback by the compliment but took it in stride. He then mentions that Votto later hit a home run in that at-bat, adding to Votto's legendary status.
Joey Votto had a great career with the Reds
Not many athletes in any professional sport spend their entire career with the same team. It has become an increasingly rare occurrence in recent memory, which is why Joey Votto's career with the Reds is so special.
He was nearly a .300 lifetime hitter while being a six-time All-Star, NL MVP, NL Hank Aaron Award winner, and Gold Glove Award winner. That is a career that many big leaguers can only dream of.
It will be interesting to see what Votto's plans are after following his retirement. With many past players moving into some sort of coaching or mentor role, it would not be surprising to see Votto take this path.