As a Cincinnati Reds fan, I have great memories of when Joey Votto played for the Reds and was the best third-place hitter in baseball. It didn’t matter who was pitching; Joey Votto would get his rips. Not only that, Votto was a good guy, a great teammate, and an ambassador for both baseball and the Cincinnati Reds.
But let me pose this question to you, Redleg Nation. How much should the Cincinnati Reds honor a player who is arguably their best of the 21st Century?
Joey Votto came up to the Reds in 2007. His stats speak for themselves: 2,185 hits, 356 home runs, 1,144 runs batted in. He had three 100-plus RBI seasons and walked 1,365 times.
I think we would agree that Votto will be elected into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. And if the Reds want to be classy, they should have a Joey Votto day next season to honor their former first baseman.
But here’s the big question: Will the Reds down the road decide to retire #19?
List of Cincinnati Reds with retired numbers
- Fred Hutchinson
- Johnny Bench
- Joe Morgan
- Sparky Anderson
- Barry Larkin
- Dave Concepcion
- Pete Rose
- Ted Kluszewski
- Frank Robinson
- Tony Perez
- (Note: Jackie Robinson’s number was retired by MLB in 1997)
My first choice to retire a number would be Vada Pinson, who played centerfield for the Reds from 1958-1968. That’s nothing against Votto. But Pinson would get my vote on that one.
In baseball, it always goes back to numbers, especially for something such as a Hall of Fame induction or to retire a number. The Reds are historically more stingy in retiring numbers. The Yankees have the most retired numbers with 22. Cincinnati is currently at 10. And I would tend to agree with being more restrictive on this issue than liberal.
Both Pinson and Votto have very good numbers.
In Pinson’s case, he was the better defensive player in an important position – centerfield. He had speed and was athletic. He combined a good batting average with power. Like Johnny Bench catching, he kept the Reds “off the spot” of getting a top-notch centerfielder for a decade. Pinson had four years with over 200 hits (Votto had none), seven years of 20-plus stolen bases and six years of 20-plus home runs during his career with the Reds.
Neither had impressive post season numbers. Pinson was 2 for 22 in the 1961 World Series and Votto batted .244 (10 for 41) with just one RBI and no extra base hits in four post season appearances.
Votto was selected as a Most Valuable Player in the NL; Pinson was never picked. His best year (1961) was overshadowed by Robinson who won the MVP in 1961. Votto was a six-time All-Star, while Pinson was selected four times. Pinson was a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, Votto was once. Both were lefthanded hitters. Votto got on base more and had more power, and he had more years with the Reds.
What say you? I think either would be a great choice to be honored with their number retired by the Cincinnati Reds.
Pinson or Votto? Or neither?
Or is there a better third option?
The post What Reds honors should Joey Votto get? appeared first on Redleg Nation.