Baseball Twitter reacts to pictures of Joey Votto playing chess: "Might be the hardest fit I've ever seen" "A national treasure" 

Joey Votto is a regular at the Annex Chess Club. The longtime slugger has been visiting the center weekly for the past few months, and he's taking it quite seriously.

He's been keeping his followers up to date about his chess adventures on his Instagram account. It's always fun to see an athlete get invested in something outside their sport and have a great time doing it.

As you can see, Votto came dressed to impress. He won't be telegraphing any plays with that slick pair of shades. If a fit-check determined chess, Votto would be a grandmaster.

"This might be the hardest fit I've ever seen," one fan tweeted.

"A national treasure," another fan tweeted.

Joey Votto has been a fan favorite for the Cincinnati Reds since they drafted him in 2002. They took him straight out of high school with the 44th overall pick. He's been with the team ever since. He's a rare one, with not many athletes spending more than five years with the same organization.

Fans couldn't help but comment on Votto's drip. He came to the event dressed for success. Hopefully, he will continue his chess journey after the MLB season is over.

Is Joey Votto coming into the season healthy?

MLB At Field Of Dreams: Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto

Votto played in 91 games for Cincinnati last season. His season was cut short when he had to have rotator cuff surgery in mid-August. It was something that he had been dealing with for a couple of years now, but it got too bad to play through in 2022.

While he had surgery in August, there are still some questions regarding whether he will be ready when spring training rolls along. He's 39 years old, so the questions come with some merit.

General manager Nick Krall revealed that he isn't expecting Votto to be ready in time. Krall believes that he's still a little behind in his rehabilitation process.

Oftentimes, players who have had a delayed spring training will miss Opening Day, but manager David Bell doesn't think that will be the case. He believes that the slugger will work hard to make sure he is ready for Opening Day.

Joey Votto is known for his work ethic. Not many players work harder than this guy has in his 16-year career. You don't stay in the league that long if you don't.