“From the first time I saw him play, I knew he had the potential to be one of the best,” Joey Votto‘s first manager said, “and the more I saw him play, the more certain I was that he would reach that potential.”
He was just one of the people there at Votto‘s enshrinement in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. It was a celebration of the career of one of the shining stars of his generation. His former teammates loved him and opposing fans loved to hate him, but respect followed him everywhere, as evidenced by the large crowd at the ceremony. Not only were many of his former Cincinnati Reds friends there, but opposing players and managers as well, along with a large throng of fans.
The man of the moment was overcome with emotion when he finally took his turn at the podium to speak. “This is one of the greatest moments of my life and to share it with all of you here is… simply amazing. I would just like to thank my family and all my teammates for their support during my journey here. Individual honor was never my goal, winning was, but this is more than I could have ever dreamed.”
Votto retired at the age of 42 with a .298 career batting average. He mainly played first baseman, participated in 2520 games, hit 372 home runs and batted in 1290 runs.