With the recent retirement of former Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto, the debate that will now be amplified and even was around when he was playing is if he will be in the baseball Hall of Fame. While fans will debate on the side of Votto going into the Hall of Fame, the 40-year old gave his thoughts on the debate on the show “Foul Territory.”

Being interviewed by Ken Rosenthal, he asked Votto bluntly if he is a Hall of Famer, which resulted in Votto giving a realistic answer. He would first go into some of the statistics that he lacks in that a lot of players in the Hall of Fame have whether it be with home runs, RBIs, doubles, and batting average.

“It depends on how people perceive my position,” Votto said. “You know, I didn't even have 400 home runs, let alone 500. I probably didn't have a lot of RBI. I didn't have 500 doubles, I didn't hit .300 and at first base, oftentimes, players want that, you know, to be fair to the previous generations. I've thought about this over the course of my career, I think about it because I've been kind of one of those debate figures where people debate that often.”

Reds icon Joey Votto talks about his “efficient style of play”

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto (19) takes the field for the top of the eighth inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Diego Padres at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, July 1, 2021. The Reds won 5-4 on a walk-off single, with the bases loaded, off the bat of Tyler Stephenson.
© Sam Greene / USA TODAY NETWORK

Looking at the statistics that are considered attractive, Votto finished with 2,135 hits, 459 doubles, 356 home runs, 1,144 RBI, and 1,171 runs. Talking about this debate after retirement which Votto mentioned the UFC might have a part to play in it, he would go into the different eras of baseball and how his forte was having a “pretty efficient style of play.”

“I think about Fred McGriff, and I think about, for example, Carlos Delgado or Keith Hernandez…Buddy Bell,” Votto said. “I think about all these players that, from their perspective, they wanted to be great and they wanted to do the job that they were asked to do, and they were guided by coaches and managers and front office. That iconic scene in '61' where the owner says to Roger Maris, you know, just go and hit home runs. Have a good time. I don't care if you strike out hit home runs. And we're tasked to do things. So there's a possibility that during previous generations, the era was RBI. the era was home run RBI…I'm one of those efficient players, as far as WRC plus, and I've got a nice little war and I have a pretty efficient style of play.”

Reds legend Joey Votto says it's “subjective” if he is in the Hall of Fame 

As Votto would mention, his efficiency and being elite in advanced statistics set him a part from the rest like in on-base percentage (OBS) or on-base plus slugging (OPS). Especially in OBS where he led the league in that seven times which the only other players to do it more were Ted Williams (12), Barry Bonds (10), Babe Ruth (10), and Rogers Hornsby (9).

There is no doubt that Votto was a “tough out” as he put it, but when asked if he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, he would say it's “subjective.”

“But that doesn't make me better than the guys in the 60s and 70s, the players in the 80s and 90s, that guys in the 60s, 70s that were slugging homers and prioritizing RBI,” Votto said. “And the ones in 80s 90s that was attempting to steal bases and and and trying to hit for average because they're on the turf. So everyone has their own flavor. I say with confidence, I was a very tough out, and I was a very dangerous hitter I was a real threat and I was consistent with it I did that for a long time, I prided myself on defense. I learned a lot and proved as a base runner, but am I a Hall of Famer? It's subjective.”

Votto is sure to receive recognition from the Reds organization who he's played with from 2007 to 2023.