Cincinnati Reds Joey Votto Praises Mike Trout with Comparisons to Ruth and Williams
Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto heaped praise onto the player that is widely regarded as the best in the game, Mike Trout.
Professional athletes are notorious for their bravado and self-confidence, particularly baseball players.
Just earlier this year, Washington Nationals right fielder, Bryce Harper told reporters that he would never admit that any player was better than him. So you can imagine how surprised the baseball world was when the Cincinnati Reds first basemen admitted that Mike Trout made him question his place in the hierarchy of baseball, as he told Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
“Personally, until Trout came into the league, I thought every year that I would be in the conversation for the best player in the game and he f—d that up for everybody,” explained Votto.
Consistency is nothing new for Votto, who finished 2016 playing in 158 games for the second straight season. In his 10 seasons in the league, Votto has played in over 130 games in seven of them. In conjunction with his stellar consistency, Votto has always put up quality numbers, as a result, he has always been in the talks for the title of best player each year. But recently, he has come to the conclusion that his stature in the game has been diminished by 25 year old superstar, Mike Trout.
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Trout has been a full-time fixture in the league, five seasons now, and in those five seasons, he has been second in AL MVP voting three times and won it once, as well as claiming the Rookie of the Year Award in 2012. With this year’s voting yet to take place, it is certain he will once again be in the running for the highest regular season honor in baseball.
Votto’s praises don’t come lightly. As, he is a man who has been accustomed to being at the top of the league, he knows what it means to be a superstar and perform consistently at a high standard for a long period of time. With this knowledge, he believes that with the advent of the ‘Mike Trout’ era of baseball, good suddenly means less than it did before Trout burst onto the scene.
“Babe Ruth and Ted Williams included,” continued Votto. “He’s ruining it for everyone.”
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Votto believes that the age old comparisons of players to the likes of Ruth and Williams now mean less because Trout is surpassing them all in skill and dominance of the sport.
Mike Trout is already setting a standard that is nearly impossible to live up too. His biggest challenger in terms of skills and consistency is himself. If he can defeat the biggest opponent of all, his mind, there is no doubt that he will go on to Cooperstown with 100% of the vote.