DENVER – On Monday, Joey Votto logged his 1,500th career hit. It also happened to come on his 24th home run of the 2017 season, putting him on pace for a career-best mark of 48.
In the last 365 days, the Cincinnati Reds first baseman has hit .355/.454/.636 with 39 home runs. That easily would constitute the best season the 33-year-old has ever enjoyed, and he thinks that’s not a coincidence. After struggling to find his swing for the first few months of the 2016 season, he struck upon something in the second half that has propelled his game to new heights.