Joey Votto, on his way to rejoin the Cincinnati Reds for his upcoming three-game series in Toronto, he was asked Wednesday which places he wanted to see on his trip back to his hometown.
“As far as the views, the center of baseball,” Votto said deadpan. “Parts of the city, somewhere around the windows, maybe the second deck. Somewhere out there. That’s what I’m aiming for.”
Votto has missed the last 15 games after testing positive for COVID-19 on May 3. He was sick for the first eight or nine days, he said, and didn’t move from his bed or couch in his Milwaukee hotel room or his house. in Cincinnati.
Cincinnati Reds:The Doctor Strange jersey that Joey Votto wore for the Louisville Bats was auctioned off for the ALS Association
The timing worked out where he was able to return for his first games in Toronto since 2017, but that was a coincidence. He knows he’ll have family and friends in the Rogers Center crowd, but he even texted his mom ahead of time to say, “If I can’t go, I can’t go. Happens.”
Votto: ‘When I came back last year, it took maybe a month or so before I really caught fire’
Votto’s main focus, as he noted in his humorous response about his favorite sights in Toronto, is to play better. He’s been off to a rough start at the plate with a .122 batting average and one extra-base hit in 74 at-bats.
“I never want to play bad and I’m a natural problem solver when it comes to my job,” Votto said. “I spent most of my time trying to come up with some simple ideas for the return, adjustments that I would like to make.”
Votto played two rehab games with Triple-A Louisville last weekend as a designated hitter, recording one hit in four at-bats with three walks and two strikeouts. Playing seven innings at first base at High-A Dayton on Tuesday, he went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
Paul Daugherty:There is no instant gratification for the Reds, the reward is on the way
He got off to a slow start to the 2021 season before missing a month with a broken thumb. After returning from his thumb injury, he was one of the best hitters in the league for the final four months of the season.
“When I came back last year, it was maybe a month before I really caught fire,” Votto said. “It is a six-month season. Whether I perform well the day I return or as the season progresses, I have a responsibility to play well every day. That’s where my attention has been.”
Votto on returning to Canada for the series against the Toronto Blue Jays
The Reds’ next series will be Votto’s fourth trip to Toronto (2008, ’09, ’17). He has three home runs, two doubles and seven RBIs in his nine career games at Rogers Center.
He grew up cheering for the Blue Jays and still follows them through conversations with family and friends. He lived about seven miles from his stadium and was 9 years old when they won the first of their consecutive World Series championships. His late father worked on a downtown street across from the Toronto Islands and Votto used to bike downtown.
“Toronto was like the Yankees of the late ’90s and 2000s before they did their thing with all the superstars,” Votto said. “It was fabulous, we were very lucky. The 1994 (strike) cut short a likely Canadian World Series. I feel unappreciated. It was a great stretch of time.”
Will Votto play for Canada in the 2023 World Baseball Classic?
The World Baseball Classic is scheduled to return next spring. Votto played for Canada in 2013 but declined in 2017, which was the most recent year for the international tournament.
Votto has not committed to playing for Canada next year.
News:Why the Cincinnati Reds moved Vladimir Gutierrez from the starting rotation to the bullpen
“I haven’t thought about that,” he said. “I was asked the question by a Canadian teammate and I didn’t really have the answer at the time just because I hadn’t thought about it. With the changes in baseball over the last two years or more, I’m trying really hard not to get ahead of myself. There are so many changes and I don’t even know if there will be a tournament. I don’t even want to talk about it.”
Votto focuses on the present. There are many challenges accumulated. You need to recover from a bad start. The Reds have the worst record in the Majors. His age places him in the final stages of his career.
The 38-year-old prides himself on being a problem solver. When people were ready to write him off last season, he responded with one of the best stretches of his career.
When asked about the timing of the World Baseball Classic, which is during spring training, his answer wavered between his future and his present.
News:The Cincinnati Reds are committed to keeping catcher Tyler Stephenson behind the plate.
“No one wants to embarrass themselves,” Votto said. “Everyone wants to represent themselves, their family and their country well. You want to perform, and that connects you to something that’s really hard to replicate in spring training. It’s hard to replicate even now in these rehab games. I am trying to fool myself on a daily basis.
“When you’re cornered or have your back against the wall, I feel like there’s something else that comes out of a player. It has worked for me in the past. Again, I don’t want to embarrass myself by performing in front of huge crowds and performing internationally. That would definitely help me, help speed up my preparation for the season, I think.”
Reference-www.cincinnati.com