SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) -First baseman Joey Votto smacked pitches in the last of the four covered batting cages outside the clubhouse Tuesday, sweat coloring the back of his Cincinnati Reds T-shirt a dark gray. Standing right behind him: right fielder Jay Bruce, bat over shoulder, waiting.
After about three minutes of steady swings, Votto left the cage and sat down on a nearby bench. He was replaced in the cage by Bruce, who got in his few minutes. Soon, they were sitting side-by-side on the bench, waiting for their next turns.
Like it or not, they’re linked.
They’re different ages, play different positions and have vastly different personalities. One thing in common: a friendship formed in the crucible of high expectations, finally on the rise this season on a team that’s had eight straight losing seasons.
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It’s a stretch to say that it’s entirely up to those two – the Reds have gotten much younger in a lot of areas. Second baseman Brandon Phillips won his first Gold Glove last season at age 27. Johnny Cueto became a rookie fixture in the rotation at age 22. Third baseman Edwin Encarnacion had a career-high 26 homers at age 25.
But it was the emergence of the rookie first baseman and the rookie right fielder that allowed the franchise to plunge into a makeover. The Reds traded right fielder Ken Griffey Jr. and left fielder Adam Dunn, who had been the faces of the franchise for most of the decade.
Now, it’s Votto and Bruce leading a lineup that’s a lot younger.
Are they ready for this?
“Honestly, I think so,” Votto said Tuesday. “But we’ve got to play well and perform. If we’re going to be those guys on the team, we can’t be the losing group. We’ve got to move in a better direction and be that group of guys that puts us over the hump and gets us over .500 and, eventually, into the playoffs.”
The duo will have a lot to do with whether that happens.
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Votto reached the big leagues at the end of the ’07 season. His brief debut grabbed the spotlight – .321 in 24 games. Last season, he led all NL rookies by batting .297. He also led NL rookies with 24 homers and had 32 doubles, the first time a Cincinnati rookie put up those numbers.
In late May, Bruce came along and overshadowed him for a time, getting 11 hits in his first 19 at-bats. Bruce led the Reds with 15 homers after the All-Star break. He and Votto became the first pair of Reds rookies to hit at least 13 homers in the same season.
In the clubhouse, they gravitated toward each other.
“I’m a little older than Jay,” Votto said. “But the fact that we got to the big leagues right around the same time, that gives us something in common, something to talk about. We’re still young in our careers. We want to achieve the same type of things and do the same thing with the team, and we want to do it together.”
The two left-handed hitters also share an interest in hitting.
“We’re similar hitters,” Bruce said. “Hopefully we have similar production. He’s a lot older, been around longer. When it comes to life, period, I think he’s more mature. I try to take everything I can from him. Honestly, I try to learn something from everyone here.”
ous disposition and is more reserved than Bruce, who was the willing object of Griffey’s and Dunn’s jokes last year.
“I guess it’s me being really young and kind of happy-go-lucky,” Bruce said. “I’m kind of carefree, and I’m the butt of a lot of jokes. But I enjoy it. That’s part of the game, what makes it fun.”
The team isn’t hesitating to give them a high profile. The Reds will give away a Votto bobblehead on May 9, followed by a Bruce bobblehead on July 4 – pretty good for a pair of players with less than two major league seasons combined.
“It’s going to be cool,” Bruce said.
It might be only the start.
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