[7] After high school, Votto signed a National Letter of Intent to play college baseball for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.

[10] In 2003, he started the season with the Reds' affiliate Dayton Dragons of the Class A Midwest League, hitting .231 with 1 home run in 60 games.

During the 2005 campaign with the Sarasota Reds of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League, he hit 19 home runs but struck out 122 times and his batting average dropped nearly 50 points to .257.

Playing for the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Class AA Southern League, he improved his batting average to .319, and hit 46 doubles and 22 home runs.

He often mimicked the batting stances of other baseball players, including Albert Pujols, Barry Bonds, and Todd Helton.

[25][26] Votto hit his first career pinch-hit home run against Cleveland's Cliff Lee, who would win the AL Cy Young Award that season.

[27] Votto finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting to the Chicago Cubs' Geovany Soto.

[30] Votto had a double and walk in five plate appearances in Canada's second and final game of the tournament, a 6–2 loss to Italy.

[33] Prior to returning to the team, he indicated he had been suffering from depression and anxiety issues as a result of the sudden death of his father in August 2008 and had sought treatment.

[33] Votto was named the NL Player of the Week for September 21–27, 2009, after hitting 10 doubles in a five-game span, a feat not accomplished in 77 years since Hall of Fame outfielder Paul Waner of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1932.

[42] On September 11, Votto hit his first career walk-off home run off Pirates relief pitcher Justin Thomas.

The Reds made the playoffs but lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series in a three-game sweep.

"[48] In 2016, looking back on his MVP award, Votto told the Cincinnati Enquirer, "Until Trout came into the league, I thought every year that I would be in the conversation for best player in the game.

It was the first time in major league history that a player hit three home runs including a walk-off grand slam in a single game.

[59] On July 1, Votto was selected by the fans as a National League team starter in the 2012 MLB All-Star Game.

[63][64] At the time surgery was announced, he was leading the National League in walks, doubles, on-base percentage, and extra-base hits.

He received more votes than Joe Mauer, José Bautista, Derek Jeter, Andrew McCutchen, and Matt Kemp.

After getting ejected, Votto bumped umpire Chris Conroy and received a one-game suspension, which he served when the Reds played the Chicago White Sox.

[84] He finished third in the National League Most Valuable Player award voting behind Bryce Harper and Paul Goldschmidt.

He became the 10th player in major league history to lead his league in on-base percentage at least five times; the only players who had done it more years were Barry Bonds (10) and Hall of Famers Ted Williams (12), Babe Ruth (10), Rogers Hornsby (9), Ty Cobb (7), Wade Boggs (6), and Stan Musial (6).

[88] After many interviews and an appearance in a donkey suit on MLB Network's Intentional Talk,[89] Cozart won the fan vote and made the cut as the National League starting shortstop.

[29] End-of-season awards for Votto included selection as first baseman on Baseball America's All-MLB Team and his second Lou Marsh Trophy.

[110] He was restrained by the Reds' coaching staff during the argument and later received a two-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for his conduct.

[130] He was ejected after the play by home plate umpire Shane Livensparger for yelling from the dugout that the third pitch in the at bat should have been called a ball.

On March 9, 2024, Votto signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays that included an invitation to spring training.

[142] His TikTok and Instagram posts quickly became popular, as Votto created videos with family and Reds staff.

[147] Votto has said that, early in his career, he lacked confidence, was burnt out due to his self-imposed expectations, and had no social life.

[142] His feelings of isolation reached a breaking point after the 2017 season when the Reds traded away some of his closest friends in the clubhouse, including Jay Bruce and Johnny Cueto.

[150] In May 2018, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Votto, who was already fluent in French, had for several years been studying Spanish through Rosetta Stone and then with a tutor in order to better communicate with teammates.

"[15] In June 2020, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, he wrote an op-ed in The Cincinnati Enquirer in which he described coming to terms with his own white privilege and exploring systemic racism.