Joey Votto reminds St. Louis Uber drivers that he won an MVP over Albert Pujols
Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto was the National League MVP in 2010, beating out then-Cardinals star Albert Pujols, who had won the award the previous two years.
Votto is so proud of this that he brags about it to Uber drivers when he's in St. Louis, the 34-year-old said in an interview with The Athletic.
“I’m very aware of that. I’ve told many a St. Louis Uber driver that," says Votto. "They ask me who I am, they say, ‘You play baseball?’
"I say, 'Yes.' They say, 'Wow, what team?' I say, 'Cincinnati.' They say, 'Oh, where’s that?' I say, 'Oh, it’s in Ohio.' They’ll say, 'OK.'
"I say, 'Do you know Albert Pujols?'
"'Oh yes, of course.'
"I’ll say, ‘Well, I beat him for the Most Valuable Player. He came in second to me.’”
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Votto hit .324 that season, leading the National League in on-base percentage, slugging and OPS. He earned 31 of the 32 first-place votes in the MVP balloting.
Votto heaped further praise on Pujols, who enters Thursday with 2,998 career hits. Pujols will become just the fourth player in baseball history with 3,000 hits and 600 home runs.
“What’s funny is he finished second and it may not have been in his seven or eight or nine best seasons," says Votto. "That’s how good he was and how much of a monopoly he had on first base in the National League."