Reds’ Phillips, Votto play game of opposites
Teammates take different approach to reach same goal
The debate still rages and plays out deliciously every day for the Cincinnati Reds, inviting intrigue, discussion and even divisions within their organization.
From the corner of power and patience: first baseman Joey Votto’s hitting philosophy.
From the corner of opportunity and aggression: second baseman Brandon Phillips’ hitting approach.
Feel free to weigh in yourself— everyone else sure is — trying to figure out this odd dynamic in the middle of the Reds’ batting order.
Where else could you have a team paying $ 225 million to a four- time AllStar first baseman who’s their greatest power hitter, but since he thrives in getting on base and passes up RBI opportunities for walks he’ll bat second?
And where else could you spend $ 72.5 million on a three- time All- Star second baseman who despises walks and loathes on- base percentage but will do everything possible to drive in runs, so he’ll bat third?
They’re the odd couple of baseball, two teammates who certainly appreciate each other but also can’t understand each other.
Nothing against Votto, Phillips says, but he’s up there swinging, believing driving in runs is the best way to help your team win.
Nothing against Phillips, Votto says, but he believes the best way to score is simply getting on base, no matter the situation.
And regardless of what the stats say, they won’t change their ways.
“I don’t do that MLB Network onbase percentage ( stuff),” Phillips told USA TODAY Sports. “I think that’s messing up baseball. I think people now are just worried about getting paid and worrying about on- base percentage instead of just winning the game.
“That’s the new thing now. I feel like all of these stats and all of these geeks upstairs, they’re just changing the game. It’s all about on- base percentage. If you don’t get on base, then you suck. That’s basically what they’re saying. People don’t care about RBI or scoring runs.
“Why we changing the game after all of this time? If we all just took our walks, nobody would be scoring runs. Nobody would be driving anybody in or getting anybody over. How you going to play the game like that? People don’t look at doing the things the right way and doing things to help your team win.
“I remember ( when) you hit .230, you suck. Nowadays, you hit .230, with a .400 on- base percentage, you’re one of the best players in the game. That’s amazing.
“But that’s just me. And I don’t give a damn what people think about me.”
Votto takes the other extreme and is vilified for his approach — even by Reds Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman — but he couldn’t care less what people think of him.
Votto has gone from a power hitter and National League MVP ( 37 homers, 113 RBI in 2010) to the king of on- base percentage. He is baseball’s active onbase leader, at .417, and led the league in walks three consecutive years, with injuries ending his streak last year. Sorry, he’s not changing either. “I still don’t understand the conversation,” Votto says. “I’m like ( sixth) in active players in slugging percentage (. 533), ( fifth) in batting average (. 310), and the on- base percentage just happens to be the one thing everyone highlights because I’ve had some success with that.
“Hopefully after this year it will be a thing of the past and people will stop being fixated on just one part ofmy game.”
Yet you can’t help but be mesmerized by a guy who hit 37 home runs in hitterfriendly Great American Ball Park suddenly morph into Wade Boggs. He has the highest active on base- percentage (. 417) of any player since his September 2007 debut and is the sixth player in major league history to lead his league in on- base percentage four consecutive years.
Yet by taking all those walks, Votto sacrifices some power. If the pitch isn’t in the strike zone, he’s not swinging. If a runner is on third base with less than two outs, he’s just as content to take his walk rather than drive him in, taking nearly as many pitches in the zone than outside with runners in scoring position.
The dilemma is that Votto is the best power hitter on the team, but he’s been hitting in the No. 2 hole all spring without a true cleanup hitter behind him.
When asked if this simply is a matter of Votto showing confidence in teammates or if he’d change his approach in a weaker lineup, he shakes his head.
“No, I don’t care about the people around me,” Votto says. “It wouldn’t matter to me. It’s never made a difference in my career. I’ve never been in a situation where I was getting pitched differently except when Billy ( Hamilton) is on first.
“Our lineup should be perpetual. It shouldn’t stop. It should just continue to roll through.”
So Votto takes his walks — the third most in baseball since his arrival, and he’s proud of them.
Yet if he actually had the desire, Votto believes he could lead the NL in homers. But the days of a .400 on- base percentage and .300 batting average would be gone, too. His batting average likely would plummet to .250, Votto says, if he focused on his power game.
“I don’t think that style of hitting is sustainable for me,” Votto says. “It’s proven my skill set is not to be a 35- to 40- homer guy, but if I sold out and just tried to hit home runs, I could probably hit 40 to 45.
“But I was 26 when I hit all those homers ( 37 in 2010). I felt unbelievable daily. But as you get older and tack on a few injuries, that starts to disappear. So you’ve got to figure out other ways.”