by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (5/15/2013) Reds first baseman Joey Votto continued to send his batting average higher Tuesday at Miami with a three-hit performance. Votto has managed six multi-hit games in May.
Votto is batting .383 (23 for 60) in his last 15 games, sending his batting average from .279 to .322. He has seven doubles, seven RBI, seven walks and 12 runs in that span. Unfortunately, Votto's home run drought extended to 16 games Tuesday.
Looking for more from Votto
by Chris Towers | CBSSports.com (5/14/2013) Reds first baseman Joey Votto had another terrific performance Tuesday against the Marlins, but it was indicative of the somewhat frustrating beginning to his season.
Votto went 3 for 4 in the game to raise his batting average, however he had just one RBI in the Reds' baffling lineup construction. Votto is hitting .322 with a .927 on-base plus slugging percentage, but has just 16 RBI because the Reds have been unable to get on base directly ahead of him. The Reds' No. 2 hitters currently have a .269 on-base percentage.
Votto is hitting .333 with runners in scoring position, but has just 11 RBI in 33 at bats. While leadoff man Chin-Soo Choo is one of the league's better on-base threats, the inability of the No. 2 hitters to do anything often leaves Votto moving Choo into scoring position as the third hitter, rather than driving him. Votto also has yet to hit a home run with a runner in scoring position, a trend that should reverse itself before long, given his history.
Fantasy owners obviously want more production from one of the league's premiere hitters, and they can expect him to improve his power potential moving forward, for certain. Whether he ends up getting more opportunities to succeed with runners in scoring position will depend on the Reds realizing that they aren't putting him or their offense in the best position to succeed right now.
Joey Votto streaking for Reds
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (5/7/2013) Reds first baseman Joey Votto extended his hitting streak to nine games Tuesday night against the Braves. He went 2 for 4 with a single and a double in the 5-4 win.
Votto is batting .425 (17 for 40) during his streak with four RBI and nine runs scored.
Now is the time to buy Joey Votto in Points formats
by Nando Di Fino | Senior Fantasy Writer (5/2/2013)Joey Votto tied for the NL lead in walks last year, with 94. The Reds first baseman also finished second in the league in doubles, with 44. He did this while missing 51 games.
This year, Votto ranks eighth in Points among first basemen. He is again tied for the league lead in walks, while hitting .292. He's a bit off in his doubles (three) and home run (four) pace, which can be looked at two ways: either, at 29 years old, Votto has suddenly lost the power part of his game (highly unlikely), or Votto is due for a power explosion very soon, to bring his numbers up to the levels we've expected from him. From 2009-2011, Votto averaged 30 home runs and 38 doubles a year, while hitting .318. This slow start can be attributed to him shaking off rust and getting his timing back (in his last 12 games, Votto is hitting .321 with three home runs and two doubles).
If someone in your Points league is treating Votto like a top 10 first baseman instead of a top three first baseman, it may be time to poke around and see what it would take to pry him loose.
Two more hits and an RBI for Joey Votto
by Jack Moore | CBSSports.com (4/30/2013) Reds first baseman Joey Votto went 2 for 4 with an RBI Monday against St. Louis.
Votto is up to 11 RBI on the season. His total is still a little disappointing given Shin-Soo Choo's early on-base ability. However, Votto now has eight RBI in his last 11 games, a 118 pace over 162 games, so perhaps the tide is turning a bit for the three-time All-Star.
Joey Votto ends 4-for-26 slump
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (4/28/2013) Reds first baseman Joey Votto collected his third double, while going 2 for 5 with one run and one RBI Sunday at Washington. Votto ended his multi-hit skid at six games, as he entered play mired in a 4-for-26 slump.
Joey Votto's home run only Reds hit Thursday
by R.J. White | CBSSports.com (4/25/2013) Reds first baseman Joey Votto had the only hit of the game for his team in an 8-1 loss Thursday to the Nationals, a solo home run in the fourth inning off Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez. It was Votto's fourth home run in 111 plate appearances this season.
Votto also struck out once and didn't draw a walk but still has a 25:26 K:BB ratio this year.
Joey Votto homers, scores twice against Marlins
by Jack Moore | CBSSports.com (4/21/2013) Reds first baseman Joey Votto homered and scored two runs as part of a 3 for 5 day Sunday against the Marlins.
The home run marked the first time Votto has homered in back-to-back games since September 2011. He now has three on the season and is hitting .328/.522/.516 and trails just teammate Shin-Soo Choo on the NL on-base percentage leaderboard.
Joey Votto beginning to power up
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (4/20/2013) Reds first baseman Joey Votto reached base five times and had his second home run of the season in a 3-2 win over Miami in 13 innings Saturday. He finished 4 for 6 with a walk -- the 14th time he has had four hits in a game, which represents a career high.
Votto, who went 11 games to start the season without a home run, has now had two over his past seven outings. His batting average is .305.
Joey Votto hits first home run of the season
by Jack Moore | CBSSports.com (4/14/2013)Joey Votto hit his first home run of the season for the Reds on Sunday against Pittsburgh.
Votto reached base four times, including three walks. Votto has walked in an absurd 34 percent of plate appearances, leading to an odd but productive .289/.542/.447 line.
Votto added his first stolen base of the season in the second inning as well.
Joey Votto says knee not to blame for powerless start
by R.J. White | CBSSports.com (4/11/2013) Reds first baseman Joey Votto is hitting .290/.500/.387 through nine games but has no home runs in his first 44 plate appearances. But he says his knee isn't the problem.
"It's not been a factor," Votto told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "I'm very happy with it. I really haven't taken a swing -- or at least a swing I'm comfortable with -- since last July. ... I feel like I'm steadily moving toward where I was before I was injured."
Votto and the Reds open a series against the Pirates in Pittsburgh Friday.
Joey Votto still no ordinary Joe
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (4/9/2013) Almost like clockwork, Reds first baseman Joey Votto is among the National League leaders in on-base percentage and has fashioned a clip of at least .400 since the second game of the season. Votto finished 1 for 4 and collected two walks for the fourth time this season during Cincinnati's 13-4 rout at St. Louis Monday.
He is still hitting just .240 after seven games with just one extra-base hit -- a rare triple -- but has produced a stellar .472 OBP that is fueled by his NL-leading 10 walks. Votto has now reached base safely in 17 of his 36 plate appearances this season.
Joey Votto's first hit a walk-off
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (4/4/2013) Reds first baseman Joey Votto waited for an opportune time to record his first hit of the 2013 campaign Wednesday against the Angels. After going 0 for 1 with two walks in his three at-bats, he came up in the bottom of the ninth inning with one on, one out and the game tied 4-4.
Votto hit a hard grounder that deflected off the glove of first baseman Albert Pujols and drove in the game-winning run.
"It's important to get that first win and get the winning going," Votto said.
Albert Pujols no longer first at first?
by Joe Polito | CBSSports.com (4/1/2013) Scott White moved Joey Votto ahead of Albert Pujols as the top Fantasy first baseman in Head-to-Head. His colleagues, on the other hand, think Pujols is still first at first.
Scott cited Pujols’ plantar fasciitis as the reason for him moving down the rankings. We’ll see if Scott sticks to his slight demotion. Track how our experts react to player production by frequenting our regularly updated rankings for Heat-to-Head and Rotisserie.
Manager isn't worried about Joey Votto sliding
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (3/27/2013) Reds first baseman Joey Votto has been working regularly on his sliding drills this spring, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Manager Dusty Baker said he isn't concerned about Votto sliding, despite Votto injuring his left knee sliding.
"He’ll probably be nervous," Baker said. "I won’t be. I saw him sliding about a month ago. I could tell he had be working on it. He wasn’t a very good slider before. He slow down to slide. He’d be safe and then make himself out. He’s working on it. He doesn’t want to have a weakness in his game. He’s accelerating to slide, which is what you should do."
Joey Votto: spring numbers are 'deceiving'
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (3/24/2013) Reds first baseman Joey Votto has had a productive spring so far as he is hitting .359 with three homers and 10 RBI in 39 at-bats. He also is slugging .641 with a solid 1.109 OPS.
Despite his stellar numbers, Votto told the Cincinnati Enquirer that he does not concentrate on Cactus League stats much.
"I’ve hit some balls hard in parts of the park where I’ve had some good results," Votto said Sunday. "Unless I can continue to move toward the type of hitter I prefer to be, I’m not going to have the same results as last year or previous years, and I am moving toward that, which is a good thing. As far as my numbers, I put nothing into it. Frankly, they’re very deceiving."
Joey Votto hitting well this spring
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (3/16/2013) Reds first baseman Joey Votto had another productive day at the plate in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Brewers. He went 3 for 4 with a homer and three RBI in the 9-9 tie. Votto singled in his first at-bat then driving in two with a base hit in the second inning. He led off the seventh with a solo shot off Travis Webb.
Votto is batting .400 (10 for 25) through 12 spring games with two homers and eight RBI. He is also slugging .720.
Votto showing no limitations
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (2/22/2013) Reds first baseman Joey Votto went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored during Cincinnati's 11-10 loss to Cleveland in the Cactus League opener for both teams on Friday. Votto, who slotted in his usual third spot in the batting order, laced two singles and continues to show no lingering issues with his knee after being limited to just 111 games last year. "Joey looked great, actually," Reds manager Dusty Baker told MLB.com. "He was running the bases well. You didn’t see any signs of anything. He swung the bat well."
Healthy Votto springs forward
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (2/15/2013) Reds first baseman Joey Votto understands he has plenty to prove in his return from surgery on his left knee. On Friday, the first day of workouts for position players, he passed the eye test of his recovery and completed his physical without any reported issues. He said the knee still doesn't feel the same prior the surgery, but is not providing him any discomfort. "No, I just had surgery five months ago," Votto told reporters. "It doesn’t feel the same but it’s done nothing but improve. The doc says if he saw me at random, he would have said he couldn’t tell I had some sort of injury. The test will be on the field. I’ll hit that first home run and everyone will relax."
Votto's knee holding up
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (2/13/2013) The Cincinnati Enquirer reports Dr. Tim Kremchek, who is the Reds' medical director, visited with first baseman Joey Votto two weeks ago and said Votto's surgically repaired left knee is fine. “He’s doing well,” Kremchek said. “He looks great.”
Votto should be good for spring
by Nando Di Fino | Senior Fantasy Writer (1/24/2013) Reds GM Walt Jocketty told the Cincinnati Enquirer on Wednesday that first baseman Joey Votto should be ready for the start of spring training. Votto missed 48 games last season after undergoing two separate knee surgeries. Reds strength and conditioning coach Matt Krause visited Votto in Florida and told Jocketty that Votto, "looks very good." His next step, according to the team, is to begin swinging a bat.
