Joy Votto (40, Cincinnati Reds), who is well-known to Korean fans as the best friend of Choo Shin-soo (41, SSG Landers), is hardly raising his senses.
Votto recently returned to the team after completing a rehab phase at Triple-A. He hasn’t joined the big league roster, but he’s been working out with the squad.
Votto is a Cincinnati one-club man with a batting average of 0.297 (2093 hits in 7044 at-bats), 342 homers, and 1106 RBIs in 1991 games, with an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.925. He is one of the legends who won the National League MVP, Gold Glove, and 6 All-Star appearances. Shin-soo Choo continued his friendship while playing together in Cincinnati in 2013, and showed off their friendship by sharing the nickname ‘rabbit’ with each other.
Even a legendary hitter couldn’t help it in the face of the passing years. Last year, he posted a batting average of 0.205 (66 hits in 322 at-bats), 11 home runs, and 41 RBIs, a career-low OPS of 0.689. In particular, he could not complete the season and was out of the season early due to reconstruction surgery on the left shoulder rotator cuff and biceps in August.
Votto made a healthy comeback and joined the team from spring camp, but his sense of hitting is not rising. During the exhibition game, he recorded a batting average of 0.182 (4 hits in 22 at-bats) and an RBI OPS of 0.789. After starting the season in minor league triple-A, he had a batting average of 0.184 (7 hits in 38 at-bats), 1 home run, 5 RBIs, an OPS of 0.605, and 21 strikeouts in 10 games. He recorded and showed baseball that was not like Boto.
In an interview with ‘Red Leg Nation’ on the 17th (Korean time), which reports news from Cincinnati, Votto said, “I feel like I’m moving a little faster and getting stronger every day. I feel like I’ve gotten better, and I’m doing really well,” he said about his current physical condition. 카지노
Regarding the feeling of hitting that seems to fall apart, “The power and range of motion of the swing are not on the right track. I didn’t do well in Triple A, and I missed the ball in the middle. because of my arm. It doesn’t seem ready yet. I will come back healthy and do well. I am sure it can,” he added.
Ahead of this season, Votto also talked about retirement due to his considerable age and deteriorating skills. “I really think I will do well. You will do well in hitting. If I can’t do it, I will retire,” said Bae Soo-jin.
Votto signed a 10-year, $225 million (approximately 294.9 billion won) contract extension with the club in 2012. Excluding the one-year option, this season is the last year of the contract guarantee. Attention is focusing on whether he will be able to revive this year and continue his career as a player.