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Joey Votto was on his way to a historical season before his injury, as he was on pace to not only break, but smash, the record for doubles, and challenge the record for walks.
-Votto will finish roughly 30 plate appearances short of the 502 needed to qualify for rate titles. But with an OBP of .476, even with the added 0-30, Votto's adjusted .440 or so will crush the .415 of Joe Mauer and the .410 of Buster Posey to lead the majors for the third straight season.
-With his first inning walk tonight, Votto has now tied Dan Uggla for the NL lead with 93 walks. This means he will lead the league in walks for the second consecutive season, despite missing 51 games.
-Votto is second in the NL in doubles. Aramis Ramirez is first with 50. Votto had 40 at the All Star Break.
-This is the oddest, and maybe most amazing one of all. Votto was a bad defensive 1B in the minors. Much has been made of his massive defensive improvements, including a well earned gold glove last season. What sets Votto apart is his soft hands & range. He has led the league in 1B assists twice, and amazingly, will lead the league again this season despite missing 51 games. In 2011, Votto led the league in both assists & putouts, meaning this is not just a case of a guy who prefers to toss the ball to 1B on ground balls hit in his direction (see: Bill Buckner and his disproportionate assist/putout totals thanks to bad knees). He's catching everything and producing lots of outs.
-Votto's 1.047 OPS will finish a close second to Ryan Braun (.990) when the empty 0-30 is added to his total. He can catch Braun with a big game tonight, although its highly unlikely.
-Votto will finish roughly 30 plate appearances short of the 502 needed to qualify for rate titles. But with an OBP of .476, even with the added 0-30, Votto's adjusted .440 or so will crush the .415 of Joe Mauer and the .410 of Buster Posey to lead the majors for the third straight season.
-With his first inning walk tonight, Votto has now tied Dan Uggla for the NL lead with 93 walks. This means he will lead the league in walks for the second consecutive season, despite missing 51 games.
-Votto is second in the NL in doubles. Aramis Ramirez is first with 50. Votto had 40 at the All Star Break.
-This is the oddest, and maybe most amazing one of all. Votto was a bad defensive 1B in the minors. Much has been made of his massive defensive improvements, including a well earned gold glove last season. What sets Votto apart is his soft hands & range. He has led the league in 1B assists twice, and amazingly, will lead the league again this season despite missing 51 games. In 2011, Votto led the league in both assists & putouts, meaning this is not just a case of a guy who prefers to toss the ball to 1B on ground balls hit in his direction (see: Bill Buckner and his disproportionate assist/putout totals thanks to bad knees). He's catching everything and producing lots of outs.
-Votto's 1.047 OPS will finish a close second to Ryan Braun (.990) when the empty 0-30 is added to his total. He can catch Braun with a big game tonight, although its highly unlikely.
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