Joey Votto is a complicated character. He also happens to be one of the National League’s best players this season, but he’s nothing like the typical MLB superstar.

Over the years, Votto has developed an interesting anti-hero quality about him. Something that’s made him just as easy to cheer for as he is to jeer for. If Major League Baseball had one player to represent the sport as its “heel," it would unequivocally be Votto.

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In order to be a “bad guy” of baseball, there are some simple requirements. One, the player must be talented enough to be despised.

Secondly, to be a baseball heel persona, on occasion, the player must display nefarious tendencies. Votto hasn’t done anything which would qualify as "villainous," but he’s had his share of run-ins with umpires and fans over the years.

Although he hails from Canada — stereotypically known as an apologetic nation — Votto makes no apologies for his behavior. Sure, he apologized and was clearly remorseful in 2015 when he bumped into Bill Welke during an argument at home plate. That said, Votto doesn’t conform to how the typical professional athlete should act.

That’s precisely which makes him one of baseball’s most fascinating characters to watch. Votto is cerebral, but he’s also incredibly self-aware. Although he approaches baseball with a cold, calculated effectiveness, everything else Votto does as a baseball player is completely unorthodox.

Take this for example: Earlier this week, Votto fielded some routine foul balls during a series against the Cubs. A typical first baseman would toss them as souvenirs to fans. Votto launched the baseballs into the stands. In one case, he threw the ball so far that it hit the roof at Wrigley Field. He did the exact opposite of what he was "supposed" to do in that situation.

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Then, there was Votto’s bizarre crusade to ensure teammate Zack Cozart was rewarded with a donkey if he was named to the All-Star team. It was a hilarious and highly memorable moment that simply added another layer of complexity to the Reds' mysterious first baseman.

Or how about Votto’s tete-a-tete with a fan as he stood in the batter’s box and traded verbal barbs? Baseball players instinctually ignore heckles from fans, and yet here’s Votto going back and forth with a fan as though they’re two pals at the bar giving each other a hard time.

For many years, Votto has been criminally underrated as a player. A perennial top-10 MVP candidate, he suffers from playing for a fairly forgettable Reds team. All the while, this year Votto has an OPS of more than 1.000 and he’s on pace to set a career high in on-base percentage.

Unfortunately, Votto suffers from something known as the "Paul Goldschmitdt syndrome" — he very quietly and consistently puts up incredible numbers, yet because of the market in which he plays, Votto often gets overlooked.

From the most devout baseball fan to the casual viewer, almost everybody knows Bryce Harper. Harper is a memorable character, but it helps that his team tends to always be in the thick of contention. Votto’s Reds haven’t been anywhere close to contention since 2013.

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It’s hard to imagine how a five-win player continually flies under the radar, but it’s true with Votto. It’s funny. Votto could very well win the National League MVP this year, but these recent events — his tossing of foul balls into the stands, buying his teammate a donkey, chirping with fans — are doing more to raise his profile and make him a household name.

Votto is a tremendously talented player. What he’s accomplished thus far in his MLB career is nothing short of remarkable.

But in order to truly appreciate what Votto’s been able to accomplish, you have to embrace everything that comes with it. And that includes Votto’s unorthodox awesomeness. He’s no Bryce Harper — and he’s no Jose Bautista — but he's simply himself. Which is more than enough to be compelling.