Joey Votto

“I've been in a Reds' uniform, in Cincinnati, owning a house here, part of the community. I cross paths with tons of people. Every time it's about 'let's win, let's keep going, let's win a championship here.' And the support has been tremendous. And I want to be a part of the team that gives that back to the community.”

“I just want to be in the middle of the order, playing solid defense, playing every day, being competitive and earning that my manager, the coaching staff, the front office, my teammates have faith that I'm going to be a helpful teammate. I want to do that until the very end.”

“It almost sounds ridiculous - but I almost feel like I've re-learned to hit.”

“The people in Cincinnati have gotten to know me.”

“I come to work every day and fit in, and be respectful of my teammates.”

“I know the feeling of being in a city - and a team winning a championship - as a young person, and then seeing the impact in the community, seeing the excitement for days, for weeks, for long stretch of time, and how special it can be.”

“Basketball is my favorite sport.”

“I'm not trying to do something in particular each at-bat, I'm just trying to get the most out of that at-bat, do something that helps the team in the long run.”

“Baseball has been very good to me, but baseball has evolved into a hybrid of work and passion.”

“I, personally, have standards that I have set for myself. I'd like to achieve those and look back without regret.”

“I was really happy with the 2,000th hit, because before the at-bat, I wanted to make sure my uniform looked good, my socks looked good. I made sure that way, if there's a highlight, I at least look my best. It was a really good at-bat. I was very happy, because the pitcher was throwing very tough pitches that at-bat.”

“I think that I've proven when healthy that I'm a healthy part of the team.”

“Seeing certain players join certain teams, basically throwing off the entire power dynamic, more or less removing any chance of any other team sharing in success, I just - no.”

“There's only a certain percentage of the strike zone that you can do extra-base hit, barrel damage with the ball. Just because it's in the strike zone doesn't mean you have to take a cut at it.”

“My goal is to stay on the field, stay healthy and be a part of some wins.”

“It bothered me when Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City.”

“My objective with men at 2nd and 3rd is to get one quality pitch to drive them in. If it's not available, I'm going to go to first base. I won't make any apologies about that.”

“I spend most of my time thinking about - whether I am making the minimum or a big number, salary-wise - how can I be competitive as long as I have an opportunity to play.”

“Personally, until Mike Trout came into the league I thought I would be in the conversation for best player in the game. Then he screwed that up for everybody - Babe Ruth and Ted Williams included. He has ruined it for everyone.”

“There's nothing more fun than standing at the plate and hitting the ball really hard, see the ball go over the fence. It's really a satisfying feeling. It always makes you feel like you're doing your job.”