Players eligible for inclusion on a ballot must have played in MLB for at least 10 years and have been retired for at least 5, meaning that Votto will be eligible in 2029. Statistics are a huge part of the voting process, and certain numbers tend to be pretty much automatic for Hall induction: a .300 or better career batting average, 500 home runs, and 3000 hits. While not every member of the hall reached those numbers, other factors are taken into consideration.
As for Votto, he did not achieve any of those numbers in an otherwise notable career. Votto batted .294, with 356 home runs, and 2135 hits. He was a 6-time All-star, winning the NL MVP in 2010, and a Gold Glove award in 2011. His other career highlights include several categories and where he places in the all-time list:
- WAR (Wins above replacement) of 94.5 puts him tied at 98th, with 6 years in the top 10
- .294 batting average – tied at 311th place, no batting titles, 8 years in the NL top 10
- .409 OBP – 42nd place, led the NL 7 times, led MLB 4 times, 10 years in the top 10
- .920 OPS – 53rd place
- 356 home runs – 92nd place
- 2135 hits – tied at 219th place, never led the league or MLB
- 459 doubles – tied for 100th place, lead the NL once
- 1171 runs – 211th place
- 1640 strikeouts – 49th place, never led the league or MLB
- 1365 walks – 34th place, led NL 5 times, MLB 3 times, 10 years in the top 10
- Only made 106 errors in 17 years, with a .994 fielding percentage. That is an average of 6 per season. He averaged playing 121 games each year
Looking at the numbers, it seems likely that Votto will eventually be elected to the Hall of Fame, although probably not on the first ballot (that is extremely rare, with only 60 of the 273 Hall of Fame players so elected.) It is possible, but even if Votto isn’t elected in 2029, his first year of eligibility, it will almost certainly happen within a year or two of that date.
I’m sure there will be detractors who don’t believe that Votto deserves a place in the plaque gallery. Those will be the so-called purists; those who think the .300 average, 3000 hits, and 500 home runs should be a hard and fast rule. That kind of thinking is outdated and just plain wrong.
Although Votto never approached the numbers of players such as Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, or a Lou Gehrig, he does have more impressive statistics than several recent Hall inductees, such as Scott Rolen, Gil Hodges, Tony Oliva, Ted Simmons, or Alan Trammell. Votto’s statistics clearly show him solidly among the Hall of Fame worthy range.
As for me – yes, based on his numbers, Votto deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. He will stand alongside fellow Reds players previously enshrined.
Of course Joey Votto is a Hall of Famer.
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) August 22, 2024
He’s a 7-TIME ON-BASE champ!
I wrote about it as part of this column last year. https://t.co/EHPfWXNvNu
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Larry Manch is an author, teacher, guitar player, freelance writer, and columnist. He has written 24 books; available in paperback and e-book on Amazon.com.
Follow @LTM_Author
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