Something dramatic had happened in baseball.
It was 40-something degrees at the ball park.
After reading the text, I imagined a slow walking parade to celebrate the event that John had alluded to in the text.
In that parade would be 13 young men with their shirts off.
A singular letter painted on each torso.
S-A-B-R-S-F-O-R-V-O-T-T-O
Joey Votto drew his 1,000th walk last night.
Votto has been a great hitter.
An even better walker.
I'm not going to use this space to berate Votto....this time.
What I want to try and do is let some know how overrated the almighty walk has become for batters.
If there is an opposite to Joey Votto in baseball over the same time that Votto has played, it is Adam Jones.
Jones is and always has been one of the most aggressive hitters in baseball.
In our world or era of sabranalytictical mumbo jumbo, Adam Jones has never walked 40 times in a baseball season.
Not even 40 times!
He averages just 25 walks a year.
In his 13th year, he has 287 walks in his career.
Joey Votto had 287 walks in 2015 and 2017.
I believe that most would consider Votto as the better hitter.
I do.
Votto is selected in the top two or three rounds of NFBC drafts most years, while Jones hangs out with the seven-10 round players.
And sabrs, those sabrs will pound the drum that Joey Votto may be THE best player in baseball.
Ugh.
I get it. Sabrs love their walks. Too much.
Let's look into the stats of Votto and Jones to see what those extra walks have done for Votto.
As said before, Votto has drawn 700 more walks than Jones.
And, Votto is considered the better hitter. No doubt.
What I expected to find was that Votto would crush Jones in runs scored over their careers.
Jones has played in 100ish more games than Votto, since Votto was hurt one year.
Their teams, both offensive minded.
Here is what I found....
Votto has scored 865 runs in his career.
I expected more.
Here is a guy with over 1600 hits and 1000 walks with 257 guaranteed runs on homers, and he has scored just 865 runs.
This goes against sabrmetric principles.
What good is Votto walking if he doesn't score.
What purpose does this have?
Without his home runs, he has 1000 walks, 1345 hits, and 608 runs.
NO BUENO!
Adam Jones has 287 walks, 1667 hits, and scored 847 runs.
Almost the same amount that Votto has scored!
Votto has hit three more homers than Jones, so the magic is not in the home runs.
The magic is that Votto is more amenable to taking a walk.
The magic is that pitchers do not mind Votto taking a walk.
The magic is that a walk, in no way, means a run.
In Votto's case, walking Votto means there is around a 25% chance of Votto scoring.
Why NOT walk Votto?
Taking the bat out of the hands of a fella that can produce three runs with two runners on with one swing and reducing that chance to a 25 per cent chance of Votto even scoring, is and always has been, a NO brainer.
ESPECIALLY when Votto wants to help the pitcher by being obliging in taking a walk.
Here is the H + BB/RUN ratios...
Jones- 1954/847
Votto- 2602/865
This isn't a knock on Votto.
He's a damned good hitter and I'll say that even with his slow start this year.
I just want to get across that a walk is not everything it is cracked up to be.
The other night, I saw Julio Teheran pitch around Rhys Hoskins every time.
It was a great strategy.
The end result was that the Braves won a low scoring game.
Another end result was that Hoskins will be revered for taking those walks.
He didn't 'take' the walks. They were given to him.
And the plan worked.
THAT is what sabrs are not getting.
They will revere Hoskins at the end of the year for being a member of the sabrmetric party.
Without even looking if those walks really did help his club.
In his case, Hoskins NOT swinging, hurt his club.
Votto not swinging, has also hurt the Reds for many years.
Just look at their record during Votto's years.
But sabrs will never admit that even sometimes, a walk is a very bad thing.
And one thing we will never know is how many more home runs or rbi Joey Votto would have if not being so accepting in taking those 1000 walks.
