Joey Votto's Retirement Press Conference

On August 21, 2024 Joey Votto announced his retirement from baseball. He spoke with the media in Toronto that night for 16 minutes.

[@joelwisecup3306]

Not just one of the greatest ever, but also one of the most dignified and classiest individuals to ever play the game. He gave it his all for his entire career and he was rewarded for it statistically and financially. Hope the next chapter is spent relaxing and reflecting on such an incredibe journey and enjoying time with family.

[@Grimmes12]

This guy is really genuine, farewell to a great one, see you in the HOF. As a lifelong Yankee diehard his career reminds of Donnie Baseball's.

[@scottcampbell9515]

Donnie Baseball should be in Cooperstown for the stache alone.

[@lawrencewheat1290]

Oh yeah. Glad you pointed that out as there are a lot of parallels. I wish Cincy would have loved Votto as much as NY loved Mattingly.

[@lawrencewheat1290]

Thanks for posting this out here Doug... (LWBlogger here).

[@Erik_Lake]

Joey Votto oozes class. I predict a broadcasting booth soon. The definite is Cooperstown when he’s eligible in 2029.

[@stormchaser419]

As a Cardinals fan, I wish we would have Joey Votto on our team the last 2 decades. Awesome gut. Im predicting 2nd ballot he goes in.

[@TheOlDad3]

Votto still bangs!

[@scvanguard1]

Players who have lead the league in OBP SEVEN or more times: Ty Cobb - HOF Babe Ruth - HOF Rodgers Hornsby - HOF Ted Williams - HOF Barry Bonds Joey Votto Pretty strong list.

[@davelachey8118]

Wow, that’s an impressive list. I think his career stats justify a 1st ballot selection, but if not he gets in for sure.

[@joellahrman4557]

@@davelachey8118 I'm not sure he will be first ballot, but he will get in. IMHO, people who don't think he's going to get in are not understanding what modern voters are using for their criteria.

[@lawrencewheat1290]

"It's a physical game, 100%" - Votto ... This is 100% true. I worked a ton and I like to think that I was a very cerebral player, but if you don't have the physical tools, then you don't have the physical tools. Votto is a case where he HAD the physical tools, but time caught up with him. That line resonated so well with me though. Always will be a Joey Votto plan.

[@ChrisBiersack513]

Arguably JDV is s one of the 3 greatest Cincinnati Reds players in the 155 year history of the franchise. Bench, Rose and Votto with Morgan. Larkin, Perez, and Robinson in the mix.

[@VegeMaticPragtarian]

Especially seeing how this year for the reds has turned out, I wish we had picked up his option. Even if he didn’t perform, this team certainly needs more veteran leadership. It would all be worth even one more JDV homerun, one more JDV moment. See you in the hall Joey

[@richardszablewski1420]

See you in the Hall of Fame Joey.

[@petervenier505]

He is a class act.

[@cbj1277]

Wait…didn’t Trevor Bauer just hate on him? Votto is a class act and all-time competitor.

[@bostoncityofchampions6581]

I'm proud of him for not screaming at anybody.

[@kturetsky]

Joey's looking real Billy Zane these days! Whatta career!

[@bigj6143]

As a Reds fan for a very long time and certainly throughout Joey Votto's career, no matter how bad or good the teams he played on were you could always just pencil him in at 1B and you knew more times than not he would hit and play a decent 1B. When I say hit, I mean for high average too. He was a mainstay. I understand the logic in not paying him millions on his team option, the Reds being stuck with a hefty price tag for guys like Moustakas, that guy went downhill in the blink of an eye. I feel something could have been worked out for this year to bring him back. He likely could still hit better than 80% of the current Reds roster and if he was willing to play some in the minors why not Louisville? With the injuries they most certainly would have given Votto some playing time in a Reds uniform this year. Especially with the scrubs the front office has brought in and then sent out the door, Mike Ford. It's a matter of thinking you have a good team when quite frankly the Reds right now really in fact do not and did not going into this season. Nothing is consistent on this year's team. I guess they will have a Joey Votto day in Cincinnati soon. Perhaps they can afford it. Perhaps a Votto day and a day to celebrate the fact they no longer owe Griffey Jr. deferred money after this season too. As far as a case for the Hall of Fame is concerned, let me put it this way, if Scott Rolen got in, Joey Votto is a shoe in. Well deserved.

[@VintageCardboard87]

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[@deanferguson1425]

❤

[@timmcdonald4788]

Seems a little peeved by the Reds, don’t blame him

[@ajgree6]

I’m a lifelong Cincinnati fan (since the last WS team 1990). Great baseball fans there, TERRIBLE ownership. 90s had 3 teams that could’ve made WS. Got one ring, NLCS and WC instead. Franchise is a shell of what it was in the 90s. 2010-2013 was a nice window but ownership’s overt loyalty to them lead to the current mess. It’s hard to be a fan sometimes but we really do love our Reds.

[@bigj6143]

Yes, there could have been more chances at a ring, especially in that 2010-2013 window. I agree ownership has never been the greatest but I also got tired of Toothpick Dusty Baker. He finally won a World Series in Houston but needed enormous talent to finally do it. When he left the Reds and went to the Nats it took them two seasons to realize he stunk so they axed him. How long did it take the Reds to figure this out??? I think Baker left on his own. Then his pitching coach took over and he stunk too. Somewhere in there David Bell was hired. The beat goes on. The Reds are a mess of poor contact hitters with what was a decent starting pitching rotation by today's standards. Can only score via the extra base hit 90% of the time. Not good in close games and bad at moving base runners. De La Cruz is talented, tremendous athlete, poor contact hitter, strikes out too much. Like the rest of the team, Benson, my god! He has been allowed to start all year with a below .200 average. You are correct about ownership but you know by now what they will and will NOT do. Last decent free agent was Castellanos now in Philly, seems so long ago now. Castillo, the ace of the Mariners pitching staff now, didn't want to pay him. Traded him with a year and a half left on his contract. No bad trades recently I guess that is the best news, just unwilling to bring in good veterans and too ignorant to see the value in it. Top free agent acquisitions Montas (1 year deal only) traded now, Candelario low average, can't field, was brought in to help the offense, just not good enough. So it is either trade for prospects, the draft, wait for an open window before these guys cost too much by Reds standards which is most of the time. Plus, if they get injured or have TJ surgery that makes the window shorter.

[@BuckeyeBoyyy]

Big loss for the BJ's , 60-68 cant start a world class human for one game. Why?

[@squirrelbutler2119]

Because, in his own words, in the minors, he was "awful". You can say they should have put him in for one game, but he would always know he was put in for sentimental reasons, and not because he was good enough. That sucks, if you're a professional athlete. Probably embarrassing. Again, he said that he was 'awful', and there was no upward trend leading him to the majors. He said it would be 'disrespectful' to the game and the fans to play a game with the Blue Jays with the way he plays now. Does that explain it clearly enough for you?.

[@monsterhuntingunslingers33]

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