Joey Votto Makes Bold Prediction for 2023 Reds Season on Instagram

Six-time All-Star and Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto took to Instagram Monday morning to share some bold predictions of his for the 2023 MLB Season, which includes the Reds opening the season 12-2, going undefeated in the playoffs, winning the World Series, and aliens visiting earth from outer space.

Monday morning, Cincinnati Reds first baseman and six-time National League All-Star Joey Votto made a bold proclamation on Instagram, pertaining to the Reds' season.

Major League Baseball's official Instagram account created a post featuring a photo of an iconic player from each National League Central team. Votto, along with Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen, St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras, Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich were all featured in the post.

MLB captioned the post, "Drop your boldest NL Central prediction," calling for fans to leave a comment with their forecasts for the 2023 season.

An hour after MLB created the post, Votto left a comment with some predictions for the coming season.

"Extra terrestrials arrive on earth, April 15th," Votto commented. "The 12-2 Reds and the rest of the plaent learn from, communicate with, and befriend our alien friends. This process takes 5 months. Play resumes in October. The Reds sweep the playoffs and are World Series champs. Side note: the aliens ask if I would like to accompany them on their ship back to their planet. I oblige. Never to be seen again."

Joey Votto at 11am on a Monday: pic.twitter.com/HfB1KMpXAM

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) February 27, 2023

If the Reds open the season 12-2, it would be a dramatic turnaround, after beginning the 2022 season 3-22. The Reds finished 62-100 a season ago, tying for fourth in the National League Central. It was the highest loss total the Reds compiled in a single season since 1982, when the club finished 61-101. The Reds had not lost 100 games in a season in 40 years.

The Reds had a relatively quiet offseason, and are projected to have the fifth-lowest payroll in MLB this season. A Reds World Series championship in 2023 would be quite a surprise to baseball fans and media members alike.

Votto, 39, is entering the final guaranteed year of his 10-year, $225 million contract. The Reds have a club option for 2024 at $20 million. Some believe that this could be Votto's final major-league season. He slashed .205/.319/.689, career lows for him in batting average, on base percentage and OPS.

The Reds are a longshot to win the NL Central. According to the Fanduel gambling website, their odds of winning are set at plus-6000, the worst in the division.

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