Reds scout believed Votto was 'not ready for pro ball'

Scouting is hard, and even when your team happens upon a future Hall of Famer, there's bound to be some internal dissent.

That's what happened when the Cincinnati Reds drafted Joey Votto with the 44th pick in the 2002 MLB Draft, according to scouting reports obtained by Ben Lindbergh and Rob Arthur of The Ringer.

"To date (Votto) has been way out of his element," one Reds scout said of the future National League MVP, continuing to lament that he was "not ready for pro ball."

Among the reasons given for the scout's opinion were Votto's "long slow uppercut swing," as well as his "different attitude (which is) probably the result of (his) Canadian background."

At the time, Votto was playing catcher for the Etobicoke Rangers in Ontario, Canada, and had committed to playing college baseball with Coastal Carolina.

The scout later said he had "no idea where (Votto) can play defensively," adding that Votto had "no feel for how to play this game," before calling him a "long project."

To the scout's credit, Votto didn't stick behind the plate, shifting to first base prior to his major-league debut in 2007. However, he showed his prowess at the dish the following season, finishing second in NL Rookie of the Year voting after authoring a .297/.368/.506 slash line with 24 homers and 32 doubles.

Now, the 35-year-old Votto is a six-time All-Star, memorably winning NL MVP in 2010 over Albert Pujols. Votto currently ranks 12th in on-base percentage in MLB history as well as 18th in OPS, ahead of Hall of Famers Jim Thome, Jeff Bagwell, Mel Ott, and Ty Cobb.