Joey Votto grew up in Toronto, bats left, was an MVP once, gets on base a lot, swings often enough for some people, himself most of all, and not enough for others, a tiresome debate in which he has little interest in participating, and in a season that has triggered a rebuild in Cincinnati is again healthy and one of the better hitters in the game. "Ha-ha," Reds manager Bryan Price said. Not long ago, when Price was a retired pitcher and employed as pitching coach for the Reds, Votto would prepare for an at-bat by asking Price – the pitcher/pitching coach – for hitting pointers.