Votto’s MVP case might be casualty of Reds’ record

Reds first baseman Joey Votto has a legitimate MVP case. The issue is fellow contenders – Nolan Arenado of the Rockies, Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks, even the now-injured Bryce Harper of the Nationals – play for winning teams, while Votto’s squad simmers in last place.

Five Thirty Eight took a look at Votto's excellence. During Votto's 20-game streak in which he reached base at least twice, he hit .435 with a .611 on-base percentage. He's on pace for 7.0 WAR, which would be his sixth time missing the playoffs with a 4.5 WAR or better.

Joey Votto is having his worst 2nd half since 2014, when he didn't play a single game. He's hitting .314/.494/.504.
— Joel Luckhaupt of the Pawnee Lerpiss family (@jluckhaupt) August 22, 2017

As Five Thirty Eight tells it, Votto’s 41.2 accumulated war on non-postseason participants is the 14th most among position players since 1995. Adrian Beltre leads the pack with 62.1 wasted WAR, while Barry Bonds (60.7) and Alex Rodriguez (57.0) follow.

On the fourth-worst team in the majors, perhaps Votto’s performance is, in fact, being wasted.

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About the Author

Gabriel Burns