Joey Votto recounted his surreal final moments as a professional baseball player during an interview on the Dan Patrick Show on Friday.
Votto, who announced his retirement from MLB at age 40 on Wednesday, revealed that the decision came at a very low point in his career: He had just turned down a plate appearance in a minor league game. Votto spent the entire 2024 season in the minor leagues, playing for the Toronto Blue Jays’ triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons. In a recent game, Votto was not in the starting lineup, and when he was offered the chance to enter the game to pinch hit, he turned it down.
“The coach said, 'Do you want this at-bat?' And I said, 'No, I don't.' And that's never happened to me before,” Votto said. “I said, 'I'm fine.'”
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Joey Votto, #37 of the Toronto Blue Jays, looks on from the dugout during a 2024 Grapefruit League spring training game against the Baltimore Orioles at TD Ballpark on March 19, 2024, in Dunedin, Florida. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Then, as Votto sat on the bench, he ran into Bisons first base coach and former Blue Jays World Series champion Devon White. For White, he was his and his late father's favorite player growing up.
“We loved the Toronto Blue Jays and our favorite player was Devon White,” Votto said. But in that moment, as Votto's coach, White helped the 40-year-old realize something.
“He said, 'What do you think you're going to do?' And he was talking about my hitting style and the adjustments I'm going to make,” Votto said. “And I said, 'I think I'm done,' and he said, 'Do you mean retire?' And I said, 'Yeah, I think I'm done,' and he said, 'OK.'”
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Joey Votto, #19 of the Cincinnati Reds, hits a fly ball in the second inning during a game against the New York Mets at Citi Field on September 17, 2023, in New York City. (Brandon Sloter/Image of Sport/Getty Images)
At that point, Votto defied his natural instincts to constantly strive to play great baseball and instead embraced retirement. He also realized that his presence on Toronto’s minor league team was ultimately taking playing time away from younger players.
“I went into the locker room, thanked my minor league teammates who, in my opinion, deserved a thank you, because I took away plate appearances from them, I took away playing time from them,” Votto said.
Votto, a Toronto native, was selected in the second round of the 2002 draft by the Reds, the only team he played for in his 17 seasons.
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He worked his way up through the minor leagues to eventually reach his MLB debut in 2007. He hit .321 in 24 games (84 at-bats) with four home runs and 17 RBIs.
Cincinnati Reds' Joey Votto (19) waves to the crowd after hitting a single during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Cincinnati, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. The hit was the 2,000th of his career. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)
Votto became one of the best players in franchise history, hitting .294/.409/.511 with a career .920 OPS in 2,056 games for Cincinnati.
Votto finished his career with 2,135 hits, 356 home runs and 1,144 RBIs. He was also known for his exceptional eye at the plate, leading the National League in walks in five of his 17 seasons.
However, Votto admitted that he probably shouldn't have tried to play this season, and that he probably should have finished last season.
“They washed me,” he said.
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