That is correct, he was sort of battling Scott Hatteberg who ended up being released by the Reds in June of 2008. Hatteberg was slumping and it seems to me he had a nagging injury in '08 (not sure on that). Anyway, Votto won the job easily and the rest is history (it wasn't much of a battle).
According to
Baseball America in January 2007 Votto was rated as the Reds 3rd best prospect behind #1 Bailey and #2 Bruce. That ranking was based upon his outstanding 2006 season at AA. Here is what the scouting reports were saying at the time.
3. Joey Votto, 1B
DOB: 9/10/83
Height/Weight: 6-3/220
Bats/Throws: L/R
Draft: 2nd round, 2002, Canada HS
What he did in 2006: .319/.408/.547 at Double-A
The Good: Athletic first baseman combines solid hitting skills with plus power and patience. A rapidly improving defender after being drafted as a catcher and being tinkered with at third base.
The Bad: Up-and-down minor league career leaves some wary of his breakout campaign, his power drops off against lefties, and he has a tendency to press at times.
The Irrelevant: After stealing four bases in 2005 and 27 total in his four-year career entering 2006, Votto suddenly swiped 24 bags last year in 31 attempts.
In A Perfect World, He Becomes: An above-average first baseman, but not upper echelon.
Gap Between What He Is Now, And What He Can Be: Average. Votto's line at Double-A has no obvious weaknesses, but people still want to see if that's the real Votto, or if the one who hit .256/.330/.425 in 2005 is the real Votto; the truth lies somewhere in between. He'll start the year in Triple-A, but will hit the big leagues at some point next year.
Obviously that scouting report was off as Votto had only begun to tap into his talent. Lastly, in January 2008
Baseball America still ranked Votto as the Reds 3rd best prospect behind #1 Bruce and #2 Bailey who had swapped places on the list.