Major League Baseball

Can MVP Votto expect different treatment?

Published Feb. 19, 2011 10:00 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

Joey Votto had a scruffy look - the start of a thick beard - as he welcomed Reds teammates on Saturday, gave blood during his physical exam, then took the field for a rain-shortened workout.

A new look for the National League's MVP?

''No,'' Votto said. ''I completely forgot it was the first day.''

The stubble would be headed for the sink drain after the first full-squad workout. A few swipes of the razor would have Votto looking just like he did last year.

Fine with Cincinnati.

Votto doesn't plan to change much coming off his best year. The first baseman was Cincinnati's most consistent hitter during its drive to the NL Central title, finishing second in the NL with a .324 average and third with 37 homers and 113 RBIs.

He made the All-Star team for the first time, won the MVP and helped the Reds break their 15-year playoff drought. He spent the offseason thinking about ways to be even better.

''I'd still like to be a better teammate,'' Votto said. ''I'd like to be a better defensive player. As far as a hitter, I'd like to be more efficient. I feel like I wasted a lot of at-bats last year.''

Not when it mattered.

Votto was the Reds' top hitter in the clutch, batting .369 with runners in scoring position. The 27-year-old also was their most consistent hitter, batting .332 over the last five months.

''For a young player, he's very disciplined,'' manager Dusty Baker said. ''For a young player, he has a very good idea of what he wants to do and an even better idea of what they're trying to do to him. When guys get in trouble is when they don't recognize what they're trying to do to them.

''You can be 0-2 (in the count) and the next thing you know it's 3-2. That's where the good hitters are. Even though they're in a hole, the pitcher's still in trouble.''

Surprisingly, pitchers kept challenging him as the season went along. Baker thinks that could change this year, with pitchers becoming more willing to walk Votto now that he's developing his MVP reputation.

''But it's the same thing Albert (Pujols) has been going through for seven or eight years now,'' Baker said. ''I saw Barry Bonds go through it - the epitome of people pitching around him.''

One of the reasons pitchers preferred to try to get Votto out last season was that it was difficult to face the guys that followed him. Scott Rolen was mentioned as an MVP candidate in the first half of the season, when he batted .290 with 17 homers and 57 RBIs. Others got hot when Rolen cooled down. They're all back this season.

''I'll assume guys are going to go after me right from the get-go, and I'm going to be ready for it,'' Votto said. ''I remember the ultimate guy that got pitched around was Barry Bonds, and he said he assumed every single pitch was going to be a strike. That's the approach you have to take.

''That's probably the most difficult part of our job. From day one until hopefully the last out of the World Series, you have to be ready.''

As the Reds pulled away to the division title, Cincinnati fans started chanting ''MVP!'' every time he got a hit. He was the overwhelming choice as the National League's MVP, getting all but one first-place vote. The other went to Pujols, who had won the award the previous two seasons.

Like Pujols, Votto prefers to stay out of the spotlight. He's got a quiet, thoughtful demeanor that hasn't changed with all the uninvited attention.

''It's paced itself really well,'' Votto said. ''It's not like it was dumped on me. A guy like Aroldis (Chapman) or Jay (Bruce), even Homer (Bailey) at the beginning - it kind of gets dumped on them. But I've earned it. It's taken time. I feel like I'll adjust to it fine. I don't see a huge leap.

''Halfway through last year I had a lot of attention. People were chanting 'MVP' and stuff like that. That's a tremendous compliment. But I've had enough time to kind of desensitize myself to that.''

Notes: Winds and heavy rain forced the Reds to condense their first full-squad workout. All 54 players are in camp. ... Baker hasn't decided who will bat leadoff. Drew Stubbs struggled in that spot at the start of last season. Brandon Phillips is among the other candidates to bat first. ... Baker prefers not to bat Votto and Bruce - both left-handers - back-to-back in the order, even though Bruce has become better at hitting lefties.

share

Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Major League Baseball