Sometimes, the most noble thing someone can do is accept their fate.
That acceptance came to the storied Joey Votto on a regular Wednesday night in the dog days of summer. Still, part of him wished it had come a few months sooner, as he tipped his cap and waved goodbye to a familiar Cincinnati crowd cheering on a franchise legend.
Votto made an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show on Friday to discuss his decision to leave the game behind and what his mindset has been over the course of this season.
“There was just no interest. No major league interest in the off-season, in free agency,” Votto explained. “I reached out to the Toronto Blue Jays, my hometown team and signed a minor league contract with them. And I got hurt in Spring Training and truly, it feels like retirement since last fall.
“It feels like my last game in Cincinnati was (my retirement). Everything went quiet, there was no interest.”
The 40-year-old spent 17 years playing for the Reds, racking up six all-star appearances, an NL MVP and a Gold Glove in the process while tallying 356 home runs, the second-most in franchise history behind Hall-of-Famer Johnny Bench. Votto finished with his career .294/.409/.511 batting splits and led the NL in OBP seven times.
Though Cincinnati didn’t find much post-season success while Votto played there, making only four October appearances over his 17 seasons, it was no fault of his as he finished his time there with 64.5 wins above replacement, the fourth-highest mark in franchise history.
That sort of high-level, impactful performance is what Votto missed the most in his final showing in baseball. Unable to perform to the best of his abilities, unable to show fans the player he is and feel the roar of the crowd, he felt his time had come.
“When you’re not on stage, nobody cares,” Votto said, elaborating on what his time in the minors was like over the past few months. “I wasn’t able to perform and compete in front of fans or on television, do interviews. Your phone goes cold. Your circle gets really, really small. It’s really felt like retirement over the last nine months.”
His ability certainly seemed to diminish as he ground his way through the Blue Jays minor league system, playing in front of smaller crowds in Dunedin and Buffalo.
Through 31 games between single-A and triple-A, the former MVP batted .165 with only two home runs, a far shout from what he expects of himself.
Time catches up to everyone. And with Votto, especially after having dealt with injuries over the last few seasons, the 40 years started to show. Ailments held him to only 91 games in 2022 and 65 in 2023, and then an ankle injury in Spring Training with the Blue Jays may have put a full stop to the best of him.
“I couldn’t stand the idea of an injury essentially crushing my competitive ability. … The idea of an injury ending my peak, my ability to compete,” Votto said.
“I want the game to tell me I’m done.”