Joey Votto recently hit his first home run in spring training since signing with the Toronto Blue Jays. Votto, a left-handed hitter, was “ecstatic” after smashing the ball over the left-center field fence, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com.
“I felt like this was the swing I was chasing,” Votto was reported as saying. “The pull homers are somewhat off. They’re a bit of an illusion.”
Votto hopes to be able to drive the ball up the middle and down the other side with authority. A home run can be achieved by perfectly sitting on a pitch, making a pitching error, or just using pure force. Hitting the ball to centre or left-center typically shows that a batter is locked in at the plate.
Votto’s career statistics show how often he smashes the ball up the middle, according to Baseball Reference. He has hit the ball to centre field 53.9% of the time in his career. Meanwhile, he’s pulled it 26.3% of the time and gone in the opposite direction 19.7% of the time. This strategy has resulted in an impressive.294/.409/.511/.920 slash line. So, as tempting as pulling the ball is on a continuous basis, batters would be wise to follow Votto’s lead.Will Joey Votto affect the Blue Jays in 2024?
Votto, who is from Toronto, is delighted to play for his local team. He had previously played his entire career for the Cincinnati Reds. Cincinnati finally chose on a another approach this offseason, as Votto received a spring training invitation from the Blue Jays.
Votto is a first baseman, however. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is Toronto’s first baseman, and he will start, of course. Justin Turner can also play this position if necessary. Turner and Guerrero will also get at-bats at DH.
Votto is slated to start the season in the minors. He might emerge as a valuable bat off Toronto’s bench in 2024, or he could be called up to the big leagues if someone is injured. The Blue Jays are hoping that everyone remains healthy and Votto performs well enough to earn a bench spot.
