It’s time for Cincinnati Reds’ fans to get behind the reality of their current first baseman. Joey Votto is best first baseman in the league and will make the Hall of Fame. A catastrophic injury is all that could hold him back.
Every year at the end of the season Votto is among the MLB leaders in runs created. It is a great stat to determine the line-up neutral offensive value of a player. Mike Trout is the only player that fairly consistently beats Votto.
But it is more than a single stat that makes Votto impressive.