DAYTONA BEACH — The Daytona Tortugas were taking batting practice when Tyson Lewis saw him.
“I thought it was just some guy kind of wandering through,” Lewis said.
And then he looked up again.
“I was like, ‘Holy crap, I think that’s Joey Votto,’” he said.
Lewis went over to the Cincinnati Reds legend and one of baseball’s best pure batsmen of the last 20 years and introduced himself. They started chatting, eventually about hitting.
The conversation remains ongoing.
Since Votto’s early-season visit, the New Smyrna Beach resident has continued to stop by Jackie Robinson Ballpark to offer a helping hand and a few thoughts. He’s even worked with Lewis, the Reds’ fourth-best prospect and the highest-rated youngster on the Tortugas by MLB Pipeline, one-on-one.
“That’s a Hall of Famer, so getting the opportunity to talk with a guy like that, you can’t pass that up,” Lewis said.
Growing up in Nebraska, he watched Votto on MLB Network and used him on the “MLB: The Show” video game.
“He was one of my favorite hitters to watch,” Lewis said. “It was crazy seeing a guy like that in person.”
Votto suited up for 17 seasons in Cincinnati. The first baseman led the National League in on-base percentage seven times in a nine-year stretch, made six All-Star teams and won an MVP award in 2010. He appeared in his final big-league game in 2023, finishing with 356 home runs and a career batting average of .294.
He developed a reputation as one of MLB’s most cerebral and meticulous stars.
Not a bad resource for the Tortugas to have around.
“Honestly, it’s super simple stuff,” Lewis said of what Votto has preached to him. “Just approach, stay in the middle of the field, backspin on line drives. He doesn’t try to complicate things really at all. Just some simple things that worked for him.”
Votto showed Lewis one of his favorite drills.
With the lefty-hitting Lewis in the batter’s box, Votto acted as the pitcher. But instead of throwing off the mound, Votto stood by the third-base line and flipped balls to Lewis from that unique angle. It forces the hitter to aim for the middle of the field.
“Whenever he was feeling off, that was a drill that would kind of get him right, get him back and locked in,” Lewis said.
Lewis found it difficult at first. But he also thinks it’s valuable and has added it to his own repertoire.
After struggling with a .208 average in April, Lewis hit .253 in May before going on the injured list late in the month. He returned to the lineup last week and collected five hits in his first 17 at-bats (.294).
Overall, the 20-year-old infielder has four home runs and 24 RBIs in 46 games this season. He has grown more disciplined, too, shrinking his chase rate on balls outside of the strike zone from 40.2% in 2025 to 36.1% in 2026.
Lewis said Votto definitely has been helpful.
“It’s really special that he’s going to come down here and talk with us,” Lewis said. “We just really appreciate him giving us his time.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Joey Votto is working with Cincinnati Reds prospect Tyson Lewis
