Joey Votto congratulates Scott Rolen with an endearing tribute on his Hall of Fame induction

MLB star Joey Votto has paid tribute to legendary Scott Rolen on becoming the National Baseball Hall of Fame's newest entrant. Rolen has now joined Fred McGriff in the 2023 HOF, who was voted in unanimously by the Contemporary Era committee last December.

Joey Votto and Scott Rolen played together for the Cincinnati Reds toward the end of the latter’s career from 2009 to 2012. While Rolen joined the Reds from the Toronto Blue Jays, Votto has only represented the Cincinnati-based outfit since his MLB debut in 2007.

Votto posted an Instagram story where he shared how big an impact Rolen has had on his career. He said:

“Scott would think this is so lame, me doing this on video and sharing it with the public. But I have to say, a big congratulations to my former teammate Scott Rolen, aka Ro Dog. I loved playing with him. I learned so much. If any player is lucky enough to have a role model and a teammate like him, they are as lucky as it gets."

He continued:

''I shaped my career, my effort, my work in his mold. He is a Hall of Famer today. Deserving. I have nothing but respect for him and his achievements. So, congrats to him and his family and his friends. Scott, good job, buddy.”

This year will be Votto’s 17th season with the Cincinnati Reds. The ace first baseman is a six-time MLB All-Star and was adjudged the National League MVP in 2010. Meanwhile, Rolen also played for the Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals in his illustrious career.

Will Joey Votto make it to the Hall of Fame?

Chicago Cubs v Cincinnati Reds

Reds fans consider Joey Votto to be one of the greatest to have played for their franchise. But is his case for Cooperstown just as strong?

According to Baseball-Reference, Votto has 2,093 hits and 342 home runs. While that does leave him short of the 3,000 hits and 500 home runs milestone, his On Base Percentage (OBP) stats and On-base Plus Slugging (OPS) make up for it. He had the best OBP in the National League for seven out of 10 years between 2010 and 2019.

Among active players in the MLB, Joey Votto’s OPS (.9255) is bettered only by Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (1.0019) and New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (.9769). This ranking slides down to 48th when we consider every player in MLB history. However, aside from the active players and those tainted by the PED era, there are only a handful ranked above him who have not yet been enshrined.

A player with Joey Votto’s numbers may have been ignored for the HOF a couple of decades back. But baseball moving on from basic stats like on batting averages and beginning to analyze advanced stats, certainly helps in understanding today why he deserves his place in Cooperstown among the greats.