(Justin Berl/Getty Images)
As the 2017 MLB season approaches its final month, one of the biggest storylines is the NL MVP race. Will it be the record breaking, power hitting right fielder for the Marlins, Giancarlo Stanton? Will it be the defensive wizard and do-it-all third baseman for the Rockies, Nolan Arenado? There are several more exceptional candidates competing for a loaded NL MVP race, but one continuously underappreciated candidate is the on-base machine for the Reds, Joey Votto.
At 34 years of age, Joey Votto is having a career year. He is tied for fourth in the NL with a .317 batting average and first by 33 points with a .452 OBP. He also has 35 home runs (tied for third in the NL), 96 RBIs (tied for ninth in the NL), and 100 runs scored (sixth in the NL).
The advanced stats also love Joey Votto. He is first in the MLB with a .428 wOBA (weighted on base average), which is similar to batting average, but it takes into account the values of each outcome (singles, doubles, etc.) differently. He is also first in wRC+ (weighted runs created plus) at 165, which "quantifies player’s total offensive value and measure it by runs" (Fangraphs). These are two of the most widely used advanced statistics to assess a hitter's value, and Votto is killing it in both departments.
The key to Votto’s success this season has been his phenomenal plate discipline. Many players who have improved their plate discipline see spikes in hitting numbers that season, but Votto has been excelling in this aspect for his whole career. But this season, he has taken another step forward at age 34.
This season, Votto has swung at only 15.6 percent of pitches out of the zone which is the lowest percentage in all of baseball and 3.5 percent lower than his previous career best. His incredible patience has resulted in a swinging strike percentage of only 5.7% which is tied for sixth best in the NL. To go along with outstanding patience, Votto makes contact on a very high percentage of swings. On pitches out of the zone, Votto is tied for fourth in baseball with a contact% of 78.9% on pitches out of the zone.
Due to his fantastic combination of patience and contact, it is no surprise he gets on base more than any other player in baseball. His 19.2 BB% is first in baseball, and his K% of 11.5% is ninth in baseball. This results in a BB/K of 1.67, which is also tops in baseball and .61 higher than Justin Turner, who is second.
(Corey Perrine/Getty Images)
A former Gold Glove winner for NL first baseman, Votto took a step back last season in the fielding department. However, he's been playing at — or close to — Gold Glove level again this season. He’s tied for second among all first basemen with 9 defensive runs saved and second with a UZR of 6.4. According to Fangraphs, Votto’s fielding is second in value to their team, behind only Joe Mauer. Although Votto’s fielding gets less attention than his hitting — which doesn’t draw nearly enough attention to begin with— he’s been excellent for the Reds at first base.
One aspect of MVP voting will always be team success. With the Reds sitting in last place in the NL Central at 66-86, Joey Votto’s MVP campaign will undoubtedly be hampered by his team’s failures this season, which is out of his control. Because of this, players like Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, and Paul Goldschmidt, whose teams are in great positions to make the playoffs, will have an advantage when the time to vote for NL MVP arrives. However, if voters are looking for the most valuable, best all-around player, Joey Votto deserves just as much attention and notoriety as the other candidates