Joey Votto, who played 17 seasons for the Cincinnati Reds and won the 2010 National League Most Valuable Player Award, is a rookie again.
Votto, 42, makes his national TV debut as a baseball analyst on Sunday Night Baseball at 7 p.m. this Sunday, July 26, broadcast on NBC and streaming on Peacock, play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti told viewers Sunday during the Dodgers-Yankees game.
The six-time All-Star finally joins the Sunday Night Lineup six months after NBC Sports announced on Feb. 8 that Votto, former pitcher Clayton Kershaw and first baseman Anthony Rizzo would be part of the network’s weekly telecasts.
Votto will appear with Bob Costas on the pregame show from Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park this Sunday before Middletown native Kyle Schwarber and the Phillies host the New York Yankees. Four-time World Series champion Joe Girardi will make his Sunday Night Baseball debut in the booth as a game analyst, joining play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti and former Phillies slugger John Kruk, says a NBC Sports publicist.
Votto also will be part of the game telecast. He will provide “Inside the Pitch” analysis from a hitter’s perspective from near the field, I'm told. So far this season Kershaw, Rizzo and CC Sabathia have commented on at-bats from the camera well near the dugout or the bullpen.
"Jason Benetti will incorporate him throughout the game. ‘Inside the Pitch’ is a position we’ve added this year ... separate from our three-announcer booth,” the NBC Sports publicist says. Kershaw, Sabathia and former pitcher Adam Ottavino have offered insights from a pitcher’s perspective, and Rizzo has talked about what hitters are thinking.
Votto was part of Reds TV and radio broadcasts in 2022 when sidelined by a shoulder injury. Reds announcers told me in February they were impressed by Votto’s ability to communicate his insights, and said he should be a hit on NBC.
“Joey can say what the hitter is thinking, and he probably knows what the pitcher is thinking too,” said Jeff Brantley, Reds radio analyst since 2007.
Reds radio play-by-play announcer Tommy Thrall said Votto “sees the game extremely well, and one of the biggest things is he knows how to articulate what he’s seeing. Because of these things, I think he will do great no matter what role they put him in. He also has the personality for it, and I don’t think he’ll shy away from showcasing it,” he said.
“He is one of the smartest and most driven humans I’ve ever met,” said John Sadak, Reds TV play-by-play announcer since 2021. “During our shared time calling Reds games he was passionate, knowledgeable and incredibly entertaining.”
Votto, who last played for the Reds in 2023, was “known for his power and patience,” NBC Sports says. The left-handed hitter compiled a .294 career batting average and blasted 356 career home runs, while leading the NL in on-base percentage seven times and in walks five times.
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