[size=6][b] Joey Votto hitting like the Bambino[/b][/size]


Link: [url="http://espn.go.com/mlb/blog/_/name/stark_jayson/id/8059738/joey-votto-literally-having-babe-ruth-type-season"]http://espn.go.com/m...uth-type-season[/url]


[size=3][background=transparent][size=5][b][background=transparent]1[/background][/b][/size]The human Astounding Fact, [url="http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/28670/joey-votto"]Joey Votto[/url], went into the weekend on a pace for 201 hits and an incredible 136 walks. If he can keep that up, he'll be in ridiculously rarified territory -- because only one player in history has ever drawn that many walks in a 200-hit season. And I'm betting you've heard of him:[/background][/size]
[size=3][background=transparent][b]Babe Ruth, 1923:[/b] 170 walks, 205 hits
[b]Babe Ruth, 1921:[/b] 145 walks, 204 hits
[b]Babe Ruth, 1924:[/b] 142 walks, 200 hits[/background][/size]
[size=3][background=transparent][size=5][background=transparent]1A[/background][/size]But suppose Votto slides to "only" 120 walks. Still almost equally amazing. Just one other player since 1900, besides the Bambino, walked that many times in a 200-hit season. And that was Ruth's tag-team partner, Lou Gehrig (130 in 1936, then 127 the next year). And that's it. The only NL players since 1900 who ever topped 105 walks in a 200-hit season: [url="http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/3709/todd-helton"]Todd Helton[/url] (111 in 2003) and Stan Musial (107 in 1949). Un-be-friggin'-lievable.[/background][/size]

That's some pretty goddamn good company...