Joey Votto announced his retirement from MLB in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
The Reds legend is hanging up his boots after 17 glorious seasons in Cincinnati.
Votto was known as one of the most disciplined hitters of his era, and he finished his career with a .294 batting average, .409 on-base percentage, .511 slugging percentage, and an impressive .920 OPS.
He hit 356 home runs and 1,144 RBIs while winning six All-Star seasons and one National League MVP season in 2010.
For more details on Votto’s retirement and career statistics, see Sporting News’ coverage below.
Joey Votto announces retirement
Votto announced his retirement from MLB in a simple video on Instagram.
“This is it. I am now officially retired from baseball,” Votto said in a lengthy caption underneath the reel.
As well as his eye for the strike zone, Votto is known for his easy-going nature.
He thanked his family, teammates and coaching staff, then gave a shout-out to his hometown of Toronto, Canada, and joked about the current state of his talent, which saw him miss out on playing time with the Blue Jays this season.
“I wanted to play in front of you all, Toronto and Canada. Oh man, I gave it my all to play for my people. Not anymore. Thank you for supporting me while I try.”
Votto played all 17 of his MLB seasons with the Reds.
Joey Votto Career Stats
Votto leaves MLB with six All-Star appearances, one Gold Glove award and one National League MVP award.
Votto was a fine left-handed hitter, but he’ll also be remembered for his patient discipline at the plate. He rarely chased pitches outside the zone and was comfortable drawing walks. “Sometimes you just have to be patient,” Votto said in his retirement Instagram caption.
His batting prowess and sharp decision-making led him to leading the major leagues in on-base percentage three times and the National League in OPS twice.
During his 2010 NL MVP season, Votto batted .324/.424/.600 while scoring 106 runs, hitting 37 home runs, driving in 113 RBIs and stealing 16 bases. His .424 on-base percentage was best in MLB, and his .600 slugging percentage and 1.024 OPS were best in the NL.
He was also the runner-up for the National League MVP in 2017, behind Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton. That season, he also recorded 106 runs scored, 36 home runs, 100 RBIs, and 5 stolen bases while batting .320/.454/.578. His on-base percentage was again the best in the MLB, and his OPS was the best in the National League.
Below you can see Votto’s career batting stats.
Year Age GPHRHRRBISBBBAVGOBPSLGOPS 2007 23 24 27 114 17 15.3 21.3 60.5 48.907 2008 24 15 115 66 92 48 47 59.2 97.3 68.5 06.874 2009 25 131 15 18 22 58 44 70.3 22.4 14.5 67.981 2010 26 15 01 77 106 37 113 16 91.3 24.4 24.6 001.0 24 201127161185101291038110.309.416.531.947201228111126591456594.337.474.5671.04120132916217710124736135.305.435.491.9262014 30625632623147.255.390.409.79920153115817195298011143.314.4 59.5411.00020163215818110129978108.326.434.550.985201733162179106361005134.320.454.5781.0322018341451436712672108.284.417 .419.837201935142137791547576.261.357.411.76820203654423211 22037.226.354.446.800202137129119733699177.266.375.563.9382022389166311141044.205.319.370.6892023396542261438027.202.314.433.747Carrier—2,0562,1351,1713561,144801,365.294.409.511.920
*Bold indicates National League lead, bold italics indicates MLB lead