Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto, who Buster Olney noted last week, only guesses on pitches up until 2 strikes, looked to guess right on this two strike hanger from Rangers starter Yu Darvish, and took it right out of the ballpark.
You can read more on how Votto is on another level from Drew here.
Just incredible stuff from Buster Olney of ESPN on Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto today. The piece is ESPN Insider only and will appear in the next edition of ESPN Magazine. If you weren’t already an Insider for Keith Law’s prospect insights, this might push you over the edge.
Olney gets down and dirty and inside Votto’s head, learning how the former MVP and Canadian wunderkind out-thinks every pitcher in the big leagues.
After what felt like 30 consecutive “______________ is OUT of the WBC, citing a sprained hangnail/hurt butt/separated paycheck” stories, good to hear about one big name player who is a last minute ADDITION to the tournament. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet was first to report Joey Votto will play for Canada at the World Baseball Classic.
Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto tested out his balky knee and will, in fact, join his maple-slathered teammates in Arizona as the anchor of the Canadian lineup. The Canadian team added Votto to their roster at the deadline but it remained unclear if he knee (and bosses) would allow him to participate.
The Canadian lineup gets a nice boost, though the pitching corps still leaves much to be desired. No word on Votto’s desire to play shortstop, needless to say he opted to just shut his mouth and show up to help however he could. He’s a boss that way.
One reason Team USA may want Vogelsong for Canada matchup: Joey Votto is 1-for-7 lifetime against him, according to Baseball-Reference.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) February 27, 2013
If not a full-time paid troll, Jon Morosi can be classified as a “provocateur.” His job, when not standing on the shoulders of breaking stories with his partner in crime Ken Rosenthal, seems to entail writing increasingly bizarre columns amidst a string of semi-sensical tweets.
The above tweet is crystallizes the new Morosi perfectly. Because, I mean, Jon….
At last, a nation can breathe easy. Cincinnati Reds first baseman and good ol’ Etobicoke boy, Joey Votto, has committed to Team Canada for the World Baseball Classic.
It is official: Joey Votto on Canada roster.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) February 22, 2013
Votto joins the likes of Justin Morneau, Brett Lawrie, Russell Martin, and Michael Saunders, to name a few, as Canada prepares to open their tournament on March 8 versus Italy. Canada will then face Mexico on March 9, and the United States the following day.
The rest of the Canadian roster can be viewed here.
Today marked the first time Joey Votto appeared in a Major League Baseball game since July 15. The Cincinnati Reds first baseman will reportedly be eased back into the lineup as he works his left knee back to 100%. Votto singled in his first at-bat versus Roy Halladay and the Phillies on Wednesday afternoon, and drew a walk in his second plate appearance later the fourth inning. It was during the ensuing at-bat when Votto showed off a unique approach to sliding into second base following a Ryan Ludwick ground ball to shortstop.
Perhaps Votto spent his rehab assignment with a club in the Wednesday & Sunday Cincinnati softball league at Schmidt Fields, or maybe he didn’t want to risk taking a Chase Utley relay throw off the melon. Maybe, just maybe, he was attempting to break up the impending double play.
Whatever the case, we love Joey Votto and we’re happy to see him playing baseball again even if he thinks the bases are 60 feet apart.
For some reason, swinging at the first pitch is something of a divisive act. Like just about everything, it is a largely a product of results. Player swings at first pitch and makes out? Bad idea. Player swings at first pitch and reaches? Aggression is good!
The numbers suggest that swinging at the first pitch is often good for business, even if our mind tricks us into thinking otherwise.
