Making the Case for Player “also receiving votes”
Baseball | Cincinnati Reds - Joey Votto - quiet goodness
by Memphis Bengal on Tuesday, May 25th, 2010 at 01:51pm
NL first baseman of note:
Player “A”: .303/.413/.527 for a .940 OPS 8 HR 29 RBI 25 R 3 SB
Player “B”: .299/.351/.486 for a. 837 OPS 8 HR 32 RBI 28 R 0 SB
Player “C”: .271/.389/.440 for a .829 OPS 7 HR 19 RBI 28 R 1 SB
Player “D”: .295/.337/.434 for a .771 OPS 4 HR 28 RBI 28 R 6 SB
Player “E”: .233/.347/.437 for a .784 OPS 5 HR 14 RBI 10 R 0 SB
And then there is this guy:
Player “also”: .307/.406/.548 for a .954 OPS 10 HR 33 RBI 29 R 6 SB
The first five on the list are the current leading vote-getters at 1b in balloting for the All-start game for the NL: Pujols, Howard, Fielder, Loney and Berkman. Good names all, Berkman there on name recognition, Pujols as one of the best players in his generation off to another robust start, Howard and Fielder as premier players with name recognition.
The “also” player is, of course, given my particular baseball zealotry, Joey Votto. I am not making this post to argue that he should be leading the all-star voting or even make the team. In a league with Pujols, Howard, and Fielder, that’s just not going to happen for him, ever. At least, being voted in will not. But I do make the post to point out that Votto has quietly, over the last two plus seasons, been putting up numbers that should have him in the conversation with the elites at the postion. Or at least acknowledged as belonging in that group. His numbers so far this season have him first among NL 1b in BA, HR, SLG, TB, RBI and tied for first in SB and runs and is second in OBP.
So, yeah, pretty damn good.
Why are the Reds playing such good ball and currently tied for first in the NL Central? A lot of it has to do with Votto’s presence in the middle of the line-up.




Jeebus.