Five Predictions for the Cincinnati Reds in the Second Half of 2014

1.  Joey Votto Will Stay Healthy

Jun 29, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto (19) looks on during the ninth inning of the game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. The Cincinnati Reds defeated the San Francisco Giants 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

This may be a bit of wishful thinking on my part, but Votto has been able to return from injuries before, and his competitive fire hearkens back to the days of Pete Rose.  If there is any way possible that he can be on the field every night, or most nights, then he will be.  As presently constituted, the Reds’ roster is fully dependent on a healthy Votto because his contract doesn’t leave much room for the team to replace his production on the trade  market.  For all those reasons, I have to believe we’ll see more of Votto in the next 81 games than we did in the first 81.