On the one hand, the Milwaukee Brewers will never again have to fear being terrorized by a familiar opponent. On the other hand, the MLB is losing not only one of the best players of the last few decades, but also a great personality.
Joey Votto, who played 17 seasons in the Major Leagues, all of them for the Cincinnati Reds, officially announced his retirement from MLB on Wednesday. He made the announcement on his Instagram account and thanked his family and baseball fans, among others.
Votto leaves MLB as one of the most successful first basemen in league history. He finishes his career with a career batting average of .294/.409/.511 (.920 OPS) and 459 doubles, 22 triples and 356 home runs, which puts him 92nd on the all-time home run list.
His numerous accolades include six All-Star Game appearances, including four in a row from 2010 to 2013, a Gold Glove in 2011, a runner-up finish as Rookie of the Year in 2008, and an NL MVP Award in 2010. Amazingly, despite being one of the most powerful first basemen of his era, he never won a Silver Slugger Award.
Votto was selected in the 2nd round of the 2002 draft and made his MLB debut in 2007. In his second career appearance and first start, he hit 3 for 3 and hit a home run, and soon began his reign of terror against the Milwaukee Brewers.
In 227 career games against the Crew, Votto batted .287 with a .406 OBP and a .915 OPS while hitting 46 doubles and 43 home runs and driving in 134 runs. He also considered American Family Field his second home, posting a .309 average and a jaw-dropping .978 OPS.
Unfortunately, Votto was plagued by injuries towards the end of his career, appearing in fewer than 100 games in both 2022 and 2023. His stats also began to decline, and after last season, the Reds released him as a free agent for the first time in his career.
The Canadian native had one last chance to fulfill his dream of playing in his home country when he was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays during the last offseason. Unfortunately, that dream never came true as he again missed much of the season due to injury and eventually retired.
Cheers to Joey Votto and best wishes for his retirement. Although he won’t be able to break Brewers fans’ hearts anymore, the baseball world will be a little less fun without him.
