Reds first baseman Joey Votto has been a constant source of discussion the past several years, especially in the Cincinnati area. The 2010 NL MVP has a 10-year, $225 million contract and there's a certain segment of the population that doesn't believe his RBI, walk and on-base percentage numbers are what they should be, given the contract.
The main discussion point is Votto not swinging enough. Notably, long time Reds radio broadcaster Marty Brennaman said on a local radio station recently that if Votto is "content to lead the league in on-base percentage again," the Reds are in "big trouble."
Brennaman's voice isn't an outlier. Legions of fans and media members believe Votto should stop being so selective at the plate. To that, Votto has the following to offer, via cincinnati.com:
"It's to be expected because I'm the guy who has the big contract," he said. "There are times when it can be a big nuisance because I have to answer questions. But most of it's noise. I think that I've proven when healthy that I'm a healthy part of the team.
"But, in terms of like ... I've got to be careful about what I say here ... but being in the middle of it sometimes I think it's really, really silly. I'm not going to use the word ignorant -- but ignorant.
"But I also think there's some validity to it. You know it's coming from a perspective that's kind of nostalgic. I don't think certain things have been taken into context. Ultimately, it's entertainment. I'm part of the entertainment industry. If there wasn't debates like this, then really what the hell are we doing? This is great I'm the big-money guy. I'm the guy that's supposed to do certain things and has done certain things in the past and they expect them in the future, so let's get after it. That's great. I'm glad that I can be a lightning rod. As long as I'm lightning rod while performing — whether it's the 2010 version or 2013 version, you cannot say that I haven't performed and been able to provide value for the team and help the team get to the playoffs. Both examples I was part of a playoff team. I'm not saying the main part or anything like that. But I was a part of it. As long as I'm part of that, that's the most important thing.
"But it's fun. Nobody gets hurt. I should expect it."
Votto's one of the more thoughtful players in baseball, so it's not surprising that he'd be fair and thorough, but obviously the "ignorant" part of what most people will cling to.
I don't think he's necessarily saying that everyone who believes he should swing more often is ignorant, but I'll go that far for him.
Seriously, saying Votto getting on base is bad for the team is as ignorant as it gets. From 2010-13, Votto led the NL in OBP every single season. If you hate OBP -- which is stupid, by the way, since it's quite literally the measure of not getting out -- then we can point to his career .310 batting average.
The problem, for the naysayers, is that while Votto drove home over 100 runs in 2010-11, he has averaged 74 RBI per 162 games in the last three seasons. I'd argue that RBI are a function of the team as a whole, but there are those who believe he's not doing what he's paid to do, being a middle of the order hitter. And since he walks a lot, that's the impetus for the polarizing discussion. If only he swung at more pitches, he'd have more RBI. Or so the argument goes.
This isn't entirely accurate, though.
The league average for swinging at the first pitch last season was 29 percent (that is, 29 percent of the time the batter swung at the first pitch he saw). Votto swung at the first pitch 32.2 percent of the time. He did see 4.32 pitches per plate appearance against a league average of 3.80, but swinging at the first pitch more often than average shows that Votto isn't "looking for walks," as the ignorant narrative goes.
Unless Votto ends up with something like 120 RBI this season or completely stops taking walks -- don't hold your breath -- this discussion point won't be going away. For now, though, let's appreciate Votto's honesty. Seriously, telling a career .310/.417/.533 hitter that he doesn't know what he's doing is pretty damn ignorant.
