Cincinnati Reds’ Joey Votto mourns with family of fan
Joey Votto led the Cincinnati Reds in 2017, and he showed his impact on the community last week.
While the Cincinnati Reds‘ season was not one that many fans want to remember, it’s hard to say a bad thing about the way that Joey Votto handled 2017 on the field, and especially off the field.
Thursday, Votto attended the visitation of a six-year-old fan, Walter “Superbubz” Herbert, who had served as an honorary captain of the team at a game in late August and lost his battle with cancer.
Votto received note for giving his home run bat and jersey to the boy during the game he captained. Votto was Walter’s favorite player.
Votto’s 2017
If you were going on pure numbers, Joey Votto may very well be at the top of the National League MVP ballot. He certainly had all the requisite numbers. He hit .320/.454/.578 with 36 home runs, 106 runs scored and 100 RBI. Votto led the National League in walks, on base percentage, OPS and OPS+.
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Really, Votto took off about mid-season of 2016, hitting .397/.487/.641 with 21 doubles, 15 home runs and 57 runs and RBI apiece. That impressive finish led to Votto placing seventh in the MVP voting last season, but his overall stat line was actually worse than his line this season.
Votto has one MVP award, in 2010, when he hit .324/.424/.600 with 37 home runs and 36 doubles, scoring 106 runs and driving in 113 runs, adding 16 stolen bases. This season, Votto has a better OPS, though his OPS+ is not better than 2010, but what will likely hold him back is how the Reds finished the season more than anything he did on the field.
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However, as Walter’s family found out, whether he gets an award for his play on the field or not, he’s an MVP off the field, truly getting what his role and impact are within the community. From the article, Votto declined an offer to move to the front of the line or any special treatment and also brought the grieving family flowers. Even though it’s his offseason, Votto was on his game in this case.