OAKLAND -- Weird ... another Joey Votto article.
The Cincinnati Reds first baseman has played in the majors for 13 years, so he's seen his fair share of talent. Me, being surrounded by the A's for pretty much my entire life, was curious to know who Votto would want to call a teammate from the roster of guys currently sporting green and gold.
So, I asked him, because that's how this works.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
"Being in the NL Central, I don't get a chance to -- and obviously on the East Coast -- I don't get to watch the club enough," Votto told NBC Sports California. "So, I wouldn't want to pick a player, ya know?"
Still, there are a few guys he's curious about -- and when Khris Davis was on the Milwaukee Brewers, Votto did have some exposure to him.
"KD is an example, Blake Treinen being an example ..."
And Votto offered some compliments to the Platinum Gold Glove winner.
Oakland Athletics
"Who could be your best player is Matt Chapman, but I haven't gotten to see him play enough," he said.
I told Votto of the MVP talks surrounding Chapman -- he didn't appear surprised.
Chapman is playing in his healthiest season thus far, and attention on him is spreading further than the local fans, with multiple outlets having him as one of the AL MVP front-runners -- behind Mike Trout, of course.
Chappy entered Wednesday with a .374/.579/.953 line, nine home runs and 22 RBI. He also was in MVP talks last season, when he went .278/.356/.864 with 24 homers and 68 RBI in 145 games.
[RELATED: Votto shares his admiration for Barry Bonds]
As far as exposure to Votto is concerned, perhaps he'll be less surprised about Chapman's status once the Reds-A's series concludes.