thelesterlee
In 2019, Joey Votto was in the middle of an interview with The Athletic where the reporter overheard him talking to then-teammate, Jesse Winkler. Votto turned to Winkler and asked him “Do I still bang? Yeah of course. I fucking bang, dude.”
Fast forward to 2023 and I have good news for everyone: Joey Votto still bangs.
KING HAS RETURNED@JoeyVotto pic.twitter.com/wRBJwUqymN
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 20, 2023
On Monday night, the Cincinnati Reds beat the Colorado Rockies 5-4 to continue their incredible 9-game winning streak.
39-year-old immediately jumps into the middle one of the best stories in baseball right now. You knew something special was happening in Ohio when no. 1 prospect, Elly De La Cruz, was called up a couple weeks back and was a lightning rod in the field, at the plate and on the bases. Now the Reds have one of the greatest hitters in the history of baseball and a 21-year-old who has all the tools to be considered one of the best when his career is over.
Prior to this season, it looked like this team was comprised of computer-generated characters MLB The Show randomly makes up when you get like, 10 years into franchise mode and all of the star players have retired.
Let me give a quick shout-out to some of the guys helping lift the Reds back to the top of the standings.
In 2021, second baseman Jonathan India won the NL Rookie of the Year award. His second year was derailed by calf and hamstring injuries but this year, he’s healthy as hell and in 73 games, he’s already matched or passed his 2022 stats. India currently leads the Reds in hits (76) and homers (10).
JONATHAN INDIA 2-RUN BOMB!!!
America’s Team takes the lead. 🇺🇲pic.twitter.com/JVMUtsXfRz
— Cincinnati 💔 (@CincyProblems) June 17, 2023
There’s left fielder, Jake Fraley, who the Reds acquired from the Mariners in the deal that sent Eugenio Suarez and Joey Votto’s old pal, Jesse Winkler, to Seattle. In his first real-time as an everyday starter, Fraley leads the team in RBIs and has already eclipsed all of his previous years stats.
WHAT A CATCH, JAKE FRALEY!!! pic.twitter.com/LWet6qMx6s
— Cincinnati 💔 (@CincyProblems) April 18, 2023
There’s second-year first baseman, Spencer Steer, who leads the team in batting average an on-base percentage. While Votto was on the injured list, Stride seemed to adopt Votto’s legendary plate discipline.
Spencer Steer. Bombs away. #Reds
— Reds Daily (@RedsDaily4) June 15, 2023
And of course, there are rookies Matt McClain and Elly De La Cruz who both look like they are A+ prospects capable of being important pieces of a championship team.
Joey Votto is the old man in a room full of kids who are all on the same page. This could be Votto’s last chance at a World Series before his career ends. He has never made it past the NLDS but he’s never been on a team this talented.
Joey Votto can still bang but now he’s finally surrounded by dudes who absolutely fucking bang.
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