Baseball, at its core, is a fairly simple sport with a fairly simple objective for position players– get on base safely. No one does that better than Joey Votto, and for that, he deserves to win his second National League MVP Award.

He appeared in every Cincinnati Reds game this season, leading the National League in walks (134) and OPS (1.032) while finishing second in WAR among NL position players (7.4) to Giancarlo Stanton. Nearly half the time he made a plate appearance he wound up on base (.454 OBP). Votto surpassed his own franchise record by reaching base 321 times, while posting a higher OBP and OPS than he did when he won the 2010 NL MVP.

Votto is no less impressive when viewed through a sabermetric lens: leading the NL in WRC+ (which calculates the runs a player creates and adjusts for ballpark impact) and UZR among first basemen (a measure of how many runs a defender saves). Votto, more than any other player, gives his team the best chance to win day in and day out.

Why were the Reds so bad, then? For years, the debate has raged over whether a player on a non-contending team, let alone a cellar dweller like Cincinnati, should be considered for MVP. Shouldn’t the presence of an MVP-caliber player automatically elevate a team to the top of the standings? It should in sports like basketball, where an individual player can have more of an impact on the outcome of every game. But in baseball, where team success is dependent on 24 other players, a team’s win-loss record is not the most accurate way to examine a player’s value.

The mysterious cadre of media members known as the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), whose personal admiration and grudges towards individual players have long dictated the fate of baseball’s most coveted trophies, have warmed to this concept in recent years. In 2015, they awarded Bryce Harper’s tremendous campaign, despite the Washington Nationals second place finish in the NL East, and last season, Mike Trout took home his second AL MVP despite the floundering play of his Angels teammates. Votto finds himself in a similar scenario: though the Reds lineup was league-average largely due to his production, the pitchers had the highest ERA in the National League (5.17).

Joey Votto is not responsible for his entire team’s performance, only his own. His job is to get on base and that is what he does- it is not his fault that the Reds struggled to keep others off base. The only way Votto will be at the World Series is if he buys a ticket, but that is not on him. Votto is not flashy or loud, but he does his job better than just about any person in the big leagues; he is the quintessential Canadian superstar.

Perhaps it is that workmanlike silence which keeps Votto under the radar, elevating the MVP claims of other stars. There are plenty who deserve recognition: Charlie Blackmon for his record-setting performance leading the Rockies back to October, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rendon for their versatile and consistent production for the Cubs and Nats, and most of all, Stanton, who led the NL in WAR while blasting 59 home runs for the Marlins. These players, as well as a few others, play with an eye-catching flair which Votto does not quite have. Stanton’s pursuit of the rarefied air of 60 home runs is the most captivating slugger since the height of the steroid era.

Yet for all the entertainment Stanton provided during the season, and for all the excitement October will hold due to Blackmon, Bryant and Rendon, it was Votto–methodical, calculated, focused–whose performance deserves to be recognized. No, the Reds did not win often, but Votto, more than any player on any other team, provided them the best chance to do so.

The art of getting on base is simple, at least for Joey Votto, and that makes him the most valuable player in the National League.

Source List

Fangraphs, http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=4314&position=1B

Baseball Reference, https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/2017-batting-leaders.shtml

Baseball Reference, https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/vottojo01.shtml