17 years and plenty of unforgettable moments later, Cincinnati Reds legend Joey Votto has announced his retirement at age 40.

The Reds icon announced via a post on social media that he would be hanging up his cleats for good following a very successful big-league career.

“I was myself in this sport. I was able to be my best self. I played this sport with every last ounce of my body, heart, and mind. Thank you for everything,” Votto said.

Following 17 iconic seasons with the Reds, Votto signed with his hometown Toronto Blue Jays this offseason hoping to play in front of his home fans after Cincinnati declined his option for 2024.

After rehabbing an ankle injury, Votto went to AAA Buffalo where he played 15 games hitting just one home run and knocking in just four.

“I just was not good enough, and that’s the end of it,” Votto said. “I didn’t feel at any point in time like I was anywhere near major league ready.”

No matter how good he was or wasn’t, Votto wanted badly to make it work and play for his hometown team.

“I wanted to play a year in Toronto at home, in front of family, in front of my country,” he said. “I desperately wanted to participate in games here. I’m really saddened that I wasn’t able to make it happen.”

Votto will end his career having played for just the Reds at the big league level and will go down as one of the greatest players in that franchise’s storied history.

Throughout his entire career, Votto hit .296 with 2,135 hits, 356 home runs and 1,144 RBI with an OPS of .920.

His best season came in 2010 when he was named the NL MVP after hitting .324 with 37 home runs and 113 RBI. Votto led the league in OBP (.424) SLG (.600) and OPS (1.024).

In 2012, Votto hit an astonishing .327 marking one of his eight full seasons of batting above .300.

Six times Votto was named to the All-Star team, most recently in 2018 including a run of four straight mid-summer classics from 2010-2013.

Whether or not Votto gets into the Hall of Fame remains to be seen. Votto retired quite short of the 3,000 hits plato that would have gotten him a sure-fire ticket to Cooperstown but some of the other numbers line up in Votto’s favor.
From a WAR standpoint, Votto’s 64.5 career WAR is a hall-of-fame level number and his 356 home runs and 1,145 RBI also make a strong case.

Votto’s candidacy will likely be determined by how much of the vote he can gather in the first couple of years on the ballot when he becomes eligible in 2026.

Hall of fame or not, Joey Votto will retire a legend not only for the high level of play on the field but the memories and antics off of it.