Joey Votto uses sabermetrics
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Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto is a very, very good baseball player. One of the best. In the top three, we'd say - only Mike Trout and Miguel Cabrera are better.
And Votto is a student of the game. Hitting is a science, and Votto wants to master it. He tries to hit the baseball all over the field. He even adjusted his swing last year in order to take fewer risks.
"There's less of a chance I miss the ball with this swing," Votto said. He's a thinking man's hitter.
"I chose not to make outs anymore," he added. He actually said that!
Votto's all about not making outs and you have to respect that. He walked 135 times last year. 135! His .434 on-base percentage is the highest in baseball since 2010.
And Votto, appearing on Cincinnati radio Tuesday night, identified the statistic he finds the most valuable:
Votto tells me individual stat he values most: wRC+ #Reds 700 WLW
— Lance McAlister (@LanceMcAlister) February 5, 2014
That's right, wRC+. Weighted Runs Created Plus. Votto knows what's up. We've explained wRC+ before (in the post below, actually), and use it regularly, but here's a reminder on what the statistic captures, and why it's essential, via FanGraphs:
Weighted Runs Created (wRC) is an improved version of Bill James’ Runs Created (RC) statistic, which attempted to quantify a player’s total offensive value and measure it by runs. In Runs Created, instead of looking at a player’s line and listing out all the details (e.g. 23 2B, 15 HR, 55 BB, 110 K, 19 SB, 5 CS), the information is synthesized into one metric in order to say, "Player X was worth 24 runs to his team last year."
Similar to OPS+, Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) measures how a player’s wRC compares with league average. League average is 100, and every point above 100 is a percentage point above league average. For example, a 125 wRC+ means a player created 25% more runs than league average. Similarly, every point below 100 is a percentage point below league average, so a 80 wRC+ means a player created 20% fewer runs than league average.
wRC+ is also park and league-adjusted, allowing one to to compare players who played in different years, parks, and leagues. Want to know how Ted Williams compares with Albert Pujols in terms of offensive abilities? This is your statistic.
Votto has a career 156 wRC+. Since 2010, Votto has posted wRC+ numbers of 172 (in 2010, when he was the National League MVP), 157 (2011), 178 (2012), and 156 (2013). He has a 164 wRC+ since 2010 - only Miguel Cabrera has created more runs relative to the league average in that time.
The point is: Votto is ridiculously talented, and enlightened. And he's come a long way:
Votto when he hit .231 in Dayton: I was distraught, in the middle of a game I went to the bathroom stall and cried #Reds 700 WLW
— Lance McAlister (@LanceMcAlister) February 5, 2014
Votto said a lot of interesting things on his radio hit Tuesday night. He doesn't care where he hits in the order, for example. More importantly, it doesn't matter where he wants to hit - it's not his job to draw up the batting order. He hits where he's told to hit.
Votto:I told Billy H he's the 1st batter to ever protect me. He gives me the get better pitches & P change their approach #Reds 700 WLW
— Lance McAlister (@LanceMcAlister) February 5, 2014
Votto also said he looks at his Baseball Reference page, which, let's face it, is fantastic. "If I'm going to be attacked, I want to be armed," he said.
He also said he's taking Spanish classes twice a week, because the ability to speak two languages carries clout, and Votto can see himself managing eventually, or in a front office, where that ability will certainly come in handy.
Joey Votto, people. He gets it.
For more on advanced baseball statistics that we use regularly at theScore, like wRC+, check out the storyline below.