Joey Votto played his entire major league career in one uniform. Seventeen seasons, all in Cincinnati, from a 2007 debut to a 2023 finish — a career arc that has become almost extinct in baseball. That is the first thing worth knowing if you are shopping for a Joey Votto jersey: there is no ambiguity about which team, which number or which era. It is the Reds #19, and it covers the whole thing.
This guide runs through the colorways, the special-edition jerseys worth knowing about, and how to size the modern Reds cuts.
Seventeen Years, One Uniform
Votto won the National League MVP in 2010, made six All-Star teams, led the league in on-base percentage seven times and finished with more than 2,100 hits and 350 home runs. The on-base record is the one that defines him: for most of the 2010s he was the most disciplined hitter in baseball, and the walk totals became a running argument among fans who wanted him swinging more.
He was also the most quotable player of his generation, which matters more for jersey sales than it should. The dugout interviews, the deadpan answers, the willingness to hand his jersey or his cap to a kid in the stands — Votto built the kind of relationship with a city that outlasts the statistics. The #19 in the Great American Ball Park stands is a loyalty jersey more than a stats jersey.
For the other end of Reds history, our Pete Rose Reds jersey guide covers the franchise's earlier one-city icon and the older Cincinnati templates, which fit noticeably differently from the current ones.
The #19 Jerseys, Color by Color
Cincinnati's identity is built on one of the oldest colour schemes in the sport, and the current set gives you four clear directions:
- Red — the default and the one most people mean when they say a Reds jersey. Brightest, loudest and instantly readable.
- White — the home look with red trim and the wishbone C. The most classic option and the easiest to keep wearing for years.
- Black — the 2021 alternate. Sharp, modern, and the version that works best as everyday clothing rather than game gear.
- City Connect — the 2023 set, which leans on the city's river and bridge imagery rather than the traditional palette. The most distinctive jersey of Votto's career and the one that came at the very end of it.
- Field of Dreams — the 2022 special-event jersey from the Iowa game. A one-off, and a collector's piece rather than a first jersey.
City Connect and the Special Editions
The 2023 City Connect set arrived in Votto's final season, which gives it a specific meaning for anyone who followed the last stretch of his career. It drops the traditional red for a design pulled from Cincinnati's bridges and riverfront, and it exists in two constructions — a Cool Base version and a heavier Flex Base one. Both carry the same graphics; the difference is weight and fit.
The 2022 Field of Dreams jersey is the other one worth calling out. Cincinnati played Chicago in the Iowa cornfield game that August wearing a cream throwback-style set, and Votto's #19 from that game is the rarest jersey in his catalog. If you collect event jerseys rather than team jerseys, that is the one to chase.
A short note on Reds history that catches people out: Ken Griffey Jr. also wore Cincinnati red for nine seasons, and his jerseys turn up in the same searches. Our Ken Griffey Jr. jersey guide covers his Seattle years if that is the version you actually want.
Sizing and Care
All of the current Reds jerseys come in one of two constructions, and the choice affects fit more than the colour does. Cool Base is lighter, more breathable and cut slightly trimmer — the sensible pick for summer games in Cincinnati humidity. Flex Base is the heavier build, closer to what players actually wear, with more room across the shoulders.
- Over a t-shirt only? True to size in either construction.
- Layering over a hoodie? Size up one, especially in Cool Base.
- Want a closer modern fit? Cool Base true to size, or Flex Base one size down.
- Buying youth? Youth sizes run slim through the chest. Going up one size is almost always the right call and the sleeves will still hang correctly.
- Care: cold water, inside out, gentle cycle, hang dry. Skip the dryer entirely if the numbers are stitched twill.
Reds red is one of the brighter reds in the league, and bright reds bleed. Wash a new red jersey on its own for the first two or three cycles, and never leave it damp in a bag after a game — that is what causes the patchy fading people blame on the fabric quality.
Wearing Reds Red
The red jersey carries a lot of colour on its own, so keep everything else quiet: a white or black tee underneath, dark denim or black jeans, white sneakers. A navy or black cap works better on top of it than a red one, which just flattens the whole look.
The black alternate is the most wearable of the set and the one that leaves the ballpark most often — it sits comfortably in an ordinary outfit and the red #19 reads clearly against it. The City Connect is the opposite: let it be the centrepiece and keep the bottom half neutral. For a comparison on how another long-tenured first baseman's jersey styles, our Freddie Freeman Braves jersey guide works through the same question in a different palette.
Where to Start
If you want one Votto jersey, take the red #19 — it is the colour, the number and the seventeen years in a single piece. Take the black if you want something you will wear beyond game days, the white if you want the most classic version, and the City Connect if the final seasons are what you are collecting. Browse the full Cincinnati Reds jerseys collection to see the whole set together and pick the cut that matches how you plan to wear it.
