CLEVELAND – Joey Votto has always choked up on the bat, at least as long as he’s been a professional.
When he was 18 and in the Gulf Coast League, fresh off of being selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the 2002 draft, then Reds roving hitting instructor Leon Roberts drilled it into his head. With two strikes, you choke up.
In recent years, Votto has transitioned to choking up all the time. With relievers throwing harder and harder – and his physical skills supposedly not what they used to be – Votto feels like his margin for error is thinner than ever.