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Writer's pictureZack Fryman

The Cooperstown Case for Joey Votto

Updated: Feb 15

What does the election of the 2024 Hall of Fame Class mean for Joey Votto's future chances?


Joey Votto stands in for a plate appearance in 2013 (via AP).


The Class of 2024


In late January, the Hall of Fame votes cast by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) were made public. Only three players earned the 75% vote threshold to earn Hall of Fame induction: Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer, and Todd Helton. These guys are all highly deserving in our opinion.


However, thinking of these inductees made us consider the accolades of one long-time Cincinnati Red, who will find himself on the Hall of Fame ballot 5 years after he finally calls it quits. Specifically, there are some interesting parallels between the careers of Mauer/Helton and Votto.


Adrian Beltre



Watching him growing up, it was evident that Adrian Beltre was one of the greats of his time. He received MVP votes in 8 different seasons, including 7 in a row from 2010-2016.


With multiple Silver Sluggers, Gold Gloves, Platinum Gloves, All Star appearances, along with over 3,000 hits, 477 home runs, and a career .286 batting average over 21 years, there are not many third baseman in the history of baseball with better resumes.


Joe Mauer



Now, the comparison with Votto's career can be made with these next 2 recently-elected Hall of Famers. Joe Mauer was a true hitter, and one of only four catchers to win a batting title (2 others were Cincinnati Reds - Bubbles Hargrave and Ernie Lombardi).


He is the only catcher in the history of baseball to win three hitting crowns. He earned MVP votes in 5 seasons, taking the award home for his insane 2009 season. He collected 6 All Star nods, 5 Silver Sluggers, and 3 Gold Gloves over 15 seasons.


Mauer's Hall of Fame candidacy was contested by those who decried, correctly, the fact that he only averaged 123 games played per season and did not make a single appearance at catcher over the final 5 seasons of his career.


Still, he had a decade of dominance behind the plate that was deemed Hall of Fame worthy by those whose opinions matter.


The Mauer/Votto Comparison



As can be seen in the above graphic, Votto eclipses Mauer in nearly every major statistical category. While we acknowledge that playing a premier position such as catcher does change the game in terms of a Hall of Fame candidate's stats, the numbers speak volumes. And again, Mauer was only a catcher for 10 of his 15 seasons.


Mauer had only one season in which he hit more than 20 home runs, Votto has had 9. Votto led the league in walks 5 times, and Mauer never did. Votto's career on-base percentage is far higher, leading the league in that category 7 times to Mauer's 2.


The largest disparity is found in the awards section, which we boil down to the fact that Votto had no national media love at the beginning of his career. Also, can we just say it is crazy that Votto never won a Silver Slugger Award? We are certainly not trying to knock Mauer, but one could argue that if Mauer has a spot in Cooperstown, Votto should as well.


Todd Helton



Todd Helton had an incredible career with the Rockies. He was one of those guys that just "felt" like a Hall of Famer every time he came up to hit. Helton collected over 2500 hits and 369 homers, with more than 1400 RBI.


Helton went absolutely crazy in 2000, amassing 216 hits, 59 doubles, 147 RBI, and a slash line of .372/.463/.698/1.162, ALL of those figures leading the league. Amazingly, he only finished 5th in MVP voting that year. Highway robbery! The naysayers will complain that he spent all of his career in hitter-friendly Colorado, and is therefore undeserving. These people must never have watched him play - the guy could hit anywhere.


The Helton/Votto Comparison



With Helton leading Votto in most categories, the case for Helton's induction helping Votto's chances is a tougher case to make. However, if we look beyond some of the numbers, we find some interesting points.


First, Votto leads Helton in the categories of WAR and OPS+. While more traditional baseball fans have little love for these advanced stats, it is becoming clear that the voters for the Hall of Fame value these metrics greatly.


This is signified by the elections of players such as Scott Rolen, Larry Walker, Edgar Martinez, and Helton. None of these players have the 500 home runs or 3,000 hits that at one time made a player a shoo-in for the Hall, yet their advanced metrics have earned the respect of voters. This bodes well for Votto.


Helton walked more than he struck out in 9 seasons. Votto was able to achieve this 5 times, and also led the league in walks on 5 different occasions. This, along with Votto's 7 seasons leading the league in OBP, will likely catch the attention of new-age voters who embrace advanced metrics. In the history of baseball, there are only 41 players who have a higher career on-base percentage than Votto, and Helton is one of them.


In the final analysis, we believe Joey Votto is Cooperstown bound once he retires. He may not have the big milestone stat totals, but this seems to matter less than it did 20 years ago. He may not have a huge stack of awards, but he has more MVP awards than Mike Piazza, Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, and Tony Gwynn combined!


Once he finally is enshrined, it will be neat to say we were all able to watch a Hall of Fame player on our hometown team for so many years.

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