19 Joey Votto, 1B

Reds first baseman Joey Votto was named National League Player of the Week Monday, MLB.com reports. He hit a major league-best .583 last week. 

The 29-year-old Votto also led the NL with a .655 on-base percentage and tied for second in hits with 14. He was third in total bases with 22. He homered twice and drove in five runs. 

"Joey is going to have those streaks because he demands perfection and has been working hard to get to this point," Reds manager Dusty Baker said Saturday. "When he's right, Joey Votto is one of the best there is."

After going 18 games in a row without a home run before Friday, Reds first baseman Joey Votto did not wait long for his next one. Votto homered Saturday for the second game in a row, while reaching base six times in a 10-0 win over the Phillies.

Votto went 4 for 4 with a double and the HR. He drove in two runs and scored twice.

Votto's on-base percentage is .473, which would be the highest for a season in the majors since 2004. He has six home runs and 20 RBI to go with a 1.004 on-base plus slugging percentage. He leads the National League with 37 walks and ranks third with a .346 batting average. 

Reds first baseman Joey Votto snapped a string of 18 games in a row without homering Friday, as he took Phillies reliever Antonio Bastardo deep for a solo shot in the eighth inning of a 5-3 loss.

Votto went 2 for 4 in the game, raising his batting average to .329. He is batting .400 with a 1.056 on-base plus slugging percentage in the month of May, however he now has just one home run and seven RBI in the past 14 games.  

Reds first baseman Joey Votto continued to send his batting average higher Tuesday at Miami with a three-hit performance. Votto has managed six multi-hit games in May.

Votto is batting .383 (23 for 60) in his last 15 games, sending his batting average from .279 to .322. He has seven doubles, seven RBI, seven walks and 12 runs in that span. Unfortunately, Votto's home run drought extended to 16 games Tuesday.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto had another terrific performance Tuesday against the Marlins, but it was indicative of the somewhat frustrating beginning to his season.

Votto went 3 for 4 in the game to raise his batting average, however he had just one RBI in the Reds' baffling lineup construction. Votto is hitting .322 with a .927 on-base plus slugging percentage, but has just 16 RBI because the Reds have been unable to get on base directly ahead of him. The Reds' No. 2 hitters currently have a .269 on-base percentage.

Votto is hitting .333 with runners in scoring position, but has just 11 RBI in 33 at bats. While leadoff man Chin-Soo Choo is one of the league's better on-base threats, the inability of the No. 2 hitters to do anything often leaves Votto moving Choo into scoring position as the third hitter, rather than driving him. Votto also has yet to hit a home run with a runner in scoring position, a trend that should reverse itself before long, given his history.

Fantasy owners obviously want more production from one of the league's premiere hitters, and they can expect him to improve his power potential moving forward, for certain. Whether he ends up getting more opportunities to succeed with runners in scoring position will depend on the Reds realizing that they aren't putting him or their offense in the best position to succeed right now.