Joey Votto has started the 2016 season slow at the plate for the Cincinnati Reds.
Votto is just 4-for-23 for a .174 batting average through the Reds’ first six games. His .269 on-base percentage is even lower than that of the OBP-challenged Reds’ speedster Billy Hamilton, who has a .294 OBP so far in the young 2016 season.
The Reds haven’t needed Votto to produce too much so far on route to a 5-1 record. He did notch a two-run, game-winning single in the Reds’ opening day win.
The numbers for Votto are surprising considering his torrid spring in the Cactus League. He enjoyed a career-best spring with a .455 batting average and a 1.166 OPS.
It looked like Votto was poised to continue the success he enjoyed in the second half of last year when he raked at a .362 clip with a 1.152 OPS in 325 plate appearances.
The slow start doesn’t figure to slow down Votto for too long, but it could. Last year Votto went through a 31-game stretch from April 23 to May 29 when he hit .219 with a .305 OBP in 128 plate appearances.
Of course, Votto went on to finish third in the NL MVP voting last year after getting back on track.
Votto’s .314/.459 slash in 2015 with a 1.000 OPS was good enough for last year’s MVP voting to boost the 2010 NL MVP winner ahead of the likes of such Chicago Cubs players as fellow first-baseman Anthony Rizzo (4th), 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta (6th) and NL Rookie of the Year winner Kris Bryant (11th).
Votto will get an early chance in 2016 to show he is more deserving of higher consideration once again than the star players of the Cubs. The Reds begin a three-game series against the Cubs in Chicago on Monday night.
For Votto and the rest of the Reds, the early series against the Cubs may be the impetus for the 98-loss Reds of last year to turn the corner in 2016 and show that they are not perennial doormats in the NL Central.
Robb Hoff writes about the Cincinnati Reds for OutsidePitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
<?/* 4/11/16, df, yes */?>
The post Joey Votto faces Chicago Cubs in funk with Cincinnati Reds appeared first on OutsidePitchMLB.