Longtime Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto, a six-time All-Star and the 2010 MVP in the National League, has retired.
The 40-year-old made the announcement in a short video on social media Wednesday night accompanied by a longer written post.
“I was myself in this sport,” he wrote. “I was able to be my best self. I played this sport with every last ounce of my body, heart, and mind. Thank you for everything.”
Across his 17 big league seasons in Cincinnati, Votto had a .294 batting average with 356 homers, 1,144 RBIs and a .409 on-base percentage in 2,056 games. He led the National League in on-base percentage seven times and was a Gold Glove winner in 2011.