Joey Votto will pass Johnny Bench on the Cincinnati Reds hits leaderboard in 2022
Entering the 2022 season, Votto has 2,027 hits to his credit with the Reds. That places him sixth on the franchise’s leaderboard in that category, with Pete Rose leading the way with 3,358 hits.
While Votto is sixth, he is not far behind Johnny Bench, who totaled 2,048 during his 17-year career with the Reds that earned him a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame. With 22 hits this season, Votto will enter Cincinnati’s top 5 hitting leaders.
Looking past 2022
Votto’s 162-game average includes 173 hits, meaning that he is unlikely to reach fourth place this season (held by Bid McPhee with 2,258 hits). However, looking ahead, if Votto is able to keep up his past pace, things get very interesting in 2023.
If Votto reaches his average of 173 hits per season during 2022, that would give him an even 2,200 for his career. He would then need just 141 to grab second place and pass not only McPhee, but also Dave Concepcion (2,326) and Barry Larkin (2,340) on Cincinnati’s hit list.