Joey Votto is calling it a career after 17 seasons in MLB.
The longtime Cincinnati Reds first baseman announced his retirement via Instagram on Wednesday, posting a video in which he said, "That's it. I'm done. I am officially retired from baseball."
The announcement officially closes the book on a player who will go down as one of the best hitters of a generation, with six All-Star nods and an MVP award to his name.
Votto began his professional career as a second-round pick for the Reds in the 2002 MLB Draft. It took him a few years to become a top prospect, but he found his footing in the minors in 2006 and made his MLB debut in 2007.
From the start, Votto was a deadly combination of patience and contact at the plate. He finished as the runner-up for the 2008 MLB Rookie of the Year Award, then won MVP in 2010. From then on, he was a pitcher's worst nightmare, posting the best on-base percentage in the NL in seven of nine seasons.
That span saw the Reds win divisional titles, but it also saw them slide into the NL Central basement. Throughout it all, Votto remained with the team on a contract that lasted more than a decade, with his Cincinnati tenure finally ending when he became a free agent after 2023. Injuries hobbled him severely in his last few years with the team.
Votto attempted to continue his career with a homecoming, signing a minor-league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. However, as he said in his lengthy Instagram caption, he appeared "just not good anymore." He struggled in the Jays' system and never reached the majors with the team.
Votto was a heck of a ballplayer.
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) August 21, 2024
But I can't stop thinking about the singular energy he carried: Funny, insightful, emotional, honest.
A kind soul, a rare bird that left baseball better than when he entered it and entertained us along the way.
What a legacy, what a run.
Votto had his detractors during his career, but it's hard to see voters keeping him from entering Cooperstown when he becomes eligible in 2029.
You might quibble with the value of drawing walks — a skill in which Votto is one of the best in MLB history — but it's hard to think of a better hitter during his first decade in the league. From 2007 to 2017, only Barry Bonds outranked Votto (.428) in on-base percentage among qualified hitters. Only three players beat him in batting average (.313) and only eight in slugging percentage (.541).
Votto might not have accrued home runs like some of his fellow greats at first base, but he was a pitcher's worst nightmare if the objective was to stop him from reaching base. We are talking about a hitter so skilled that he didn't pop out to the first baseman until 2019.
In an age when hitters are more maligned for selling out for power than waiting for a walk, Votto already feels like a figure who will cast a long shadow on today's game.
That hitting prowess is in addition to his status as the best Reds player since the turn of the century and a rare one-team player (despite his best efforts with the Jays). He might not be an inner-circler, but the idea of a Hall of Fame without Votto is ludicrous.
Voters likely won't let that become an issue after the first ballot.
