BREAKING NEWS: Rangers veteran officially Announced his retirement after 22 years of MLB

Joey Votto, the long-time first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds, announced his retirement yesterday. The Canadian player had signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays this offseason but missed a significant portion of the year due to an ankle injury. His performance in the minors was subpar, with a .165/.298/.271 slash line across 104 plate appearances, mostly at the AA and AAA levels, prompting his decision to retire.

Votto spent his entire major league career with the Cincinnati Reds, who drafted him in the second round of the 2002 MLB Draft. He debuted in the majors in September 2007, hitting .321/.360/.548 in 89 plate appearances. From then on, he was the Reds’ regular first baseman.

In 2008, Votto finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting, trailing behind Cubs catcher Geovany Soto. He appeared on MVP ballots nine times, winning the award in 2010 with a .324/.424/.600 slash line, and finishing second in 2017 to Giancarlo Stanton, with a .320/.454/.578 line. Votto led the league in walks five times, on-base percentage seven times, slugging once, and OPS twice.

Had Votto retired after the 2021 season, he would have ended his career as a 3/4/5 player. However, due to injury-riddled 2022 and 2023 seasons, his final career slash line stands at an impressive .294/.409/.511. He concludes his career with 2,135 hits and 356 home runs.

Votto’s career bWAR of 64.5 ranks 99th all-time among position players and 14th among first basemen, just ahead of Miguel Cabrera and behind Willie McCovey. His WAR7, which is the total WAR from his seven best seasons, is 46.9, placing him 9th all-time among first basemen, with only Lou Gehrig, Albert Pujols, Jimmie Foxx, Jeff Bagwell, and Johnny Mize ahead of him from the live ball era.

Votto’s counting numbers are influenced by having only 14 seasons as a regular from 2008 to 2021, with a combined 156 games played in 2022 and 2023. He also missed significant time in two of those seasons due to injury (2014) and the pandemic (2020). Nonetheless, he appears to be a strong Hall of Fame candidate. Among eligible first basemen within 10 bWAR of him who are not implicated by PEDs or already inducted are Keith Hernandez (60.3 bWAR), John Olerud (58.2), and Will Clark (56.5).