HR Recap: Joey Votto (5/14/2012)

Joey Votto hit three home runs against the Washington Nationals yesterday afternoon, the last one a walk-off grand slam versus Henry Rodriguez.  All three homers came on pitches in very different parts of the strike zone.

Here's a look at Votto's ISO heat map prior to Sunday's outburst, beginning in 2010:

 (Click to enlarge)

The first home run Votto hit came on an Edwin Jackson fastball that sat right in the middle of the zone:

 May 13th, 1st inning HR

May 13th, 4th inning HRVotto's second HR came on a Jackson changeup a bit outside his normal power zone. It was the sixth HR that Votto has hit off a changeup since the start of the 2010 season.

May 13th, 9th inning HRWith two outs and the bases loaded in the 9th and the Reds trailing by one run, Votto launched this 2-2 fastball from Henry Rodriguez over the center field wall. Unlike the first HR which was right in the middle of the zone, or the second HR which was low in the zone, this pitch was fairly high.  However, it was still an area that Votto has done well in.  On pitches up, Votto has a .272 batting average and .485 slugging percentage, and this ninth inning homer was his 13th on a high pitch since 2010.