The Cincinnati Reds are peaking.
They have won nine straight games and are now the leaders of the NL Central division with a 38-35 record.
Considering they were 62-100 last year, they have come a very, very long way.
Veteran slugger and former MVP winner Joey Votto has been part of the success and the struggles with the team through the years.
He made his MLB debut in 2007, and played in four postseasons.
He was also part of a last-place team in four consecutive years from 2015 to 2018.
As the franchise gears up to contend again, he is enjoying his last few years as a major leaguer.
It’s a perfect way to send off his career, should he decide to do it in upcoming seasons: the Reds have the look of being contenders in the National League.
They have the talent, and they have a good farm with impact players to keep adding to their roster.
Votto, for his part, will try to help from his own place: leadership, power production, and on-base ability.
That’s what he supplied on Monday upon returning from a season-long absence while rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery.
He went 2-for-3 with a homer and a walk, propelling the Reds to the victory.
He said he is as excited as a rookie coming up to the big leagues.
Joey Votto speaks from the heart about how excited he is to join the Reds again
"Every time this team is in position to compete for championships, it makes everything so much better… I feel like this is 2007 all over again and I just got called up."
(via @WLWT) pic.twitter.com/sGMZVdjWXw
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 19, 2023
“Joey Votto speaks from the heart about how excited he is to join the Reds again. ‘Every time this team is in position to compete for championships, it makes everything so much better… I feel like this is 2007 all over again and I just got called up,'” Talkin’ Baseball tweeted with some Votto quotes.
He is as happy and healthy as we have seen him since 2021, when he hit 36 homers.
The Reds are suddenly becoming very, very good.
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