Why all the Joey Hate?

The Reds came into this season with the expectation of not only making the playoffs but contending for a World Series ring and let's be honest, it's be a frustrating and lackluster season to this point. In their defense, not many teams can say they are having a disappointing and lackluster season why still playing11 games over .500 and in position to go to the post season with a dominating pitching staff, where pitching really wins games. But I digress. Fans of the Reds have been throwing around blame all season and some of it is justified (injuries to important players from game one) and other not as justified (Zack Cozark's hitting: he has actually been the most productive shortstop of the three teams competing for the NL Central). There is one spot where blame has been completely unjustified and for some reason seems to be gaining momentum, at Joey Votto. Yes, Votto has struggled in the field while setting a career high in errors, but many people are complaining about his production at the plate. I did not think that this seemed logical so I looked a little deeper into the stats, so let's break down this "down" year for Joey Votto.

Current NL Ranks for Votto:

WAR: 7th
Batting Average: 6th
On Base %: 1st
On Base plus Slugging: 3rd
Games Played: 1st
Plate Appearances: 1st
Runs: 2nd
Hits: 2nd
Total Bases: 6th
HR: 11th
Walks: 1st
Singles: 5th
Runs Created: 1st
Adjusted Batting Runs: 1st
Adjusted Batting Wins: 1st
Times on Base: 1st
Intentional Walks: 1st


That would equal 16 different categories that he is in the top 10, 10 categories that he leads the league, and only one that he is outside of the top 10, and he is 11th.

It is always easiest to blame the best player or the person in charge, but certainly is not the smartest and never seems to make the most sense. We have the opportunity in Cincinnati to watch one of the best hitters in the game on a daily basis and people want to pick and complain about things as opposed to understanding how lucky they are. Votto is the kind of hitter that you will tell your grandchildren about seeing hit. Joey Votto is currently and will remain being the Reds best hitter, so lets celebrate that fact and stop pointing out that he has "only 49 RBI" which is more than Ryan Howard and Carlos Quentin. It is also only 3 less RBI than David Wright and 2 less than Matt Holliday. All guys who are supposed to produce huge numbers for their teams.

Joey Votto is actually having a great all around batting season and the Reds are in the playoff picture, let's stop being so negative and instead be positive and go cheer on the Reds this weekend!