Off-season news out of Major League Baseball shouldn't be a surprise to the baseball world anymore because gone are the days where Canada had a Ferguson Jenkins and no one else in the big leagues. Canadian content in the majors is growing and is also getting better.
Nowadays Canadian players in major league baseball are not only in the major leagues, but many are more than an extra cog in the bullpen or a utility infielder. Case in point is Toronto native Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds who was named the National League MVP on Monday November 22, receiving 31 of 32 first place votes from the Baseball Writers of Association of America.
Canadian Major League Baseball Players Getting Known
It was a break-out season for the 27-year-old Votto, only his third full year in the majors. While his .324 batting average was only two points above his average last year, the big differences were his RBI total, 113 this year, 84 in 2009, and home runs, 37 this year vs. 25 last season. He finished in the top four in the NL in eight offensive categories and led the Reds to the team's first NL division title since 1995.
Votto handily beat out Albert Pujois for the award, a player who won three of the last four MVP's and who Votto is on record as saying may be the best hitter in the history of the game. Votto, Pujois and Carlos Gonzalez of Colorado - who had equally strong numbers on a losing team - were the only three to be named on every ballot.
"I did some good things and, most importantly, we won," Votto said. "I think those all together were the reason I won."
Larry Walker Impressed by Joey Votto
It's been a great few years for Canadians in baseball. While Votto is only the third Canadian to be named MVP it was just four years ago, 2006, that Justin Morneau won the American League MVP, the first time a Canadian had won in the AL. The first Canadian MVP? Larry Walker back in 1997 when he won the National League MVP while hitting .363 with 49 home runs for the Colorado Rockies.
Walker was Votto's hitting coach at the 2009 World Baseball Classic tournament but said he didn't see anything to correct in Votto's swing so said he didn't do much coaching of the Reds first baseman. A former Montreal Expo Walker told the CBC that Votto has done a great thing for Canadian baseball with the win.
"He's inspiring young kids, kids that for any minute of their time doubt," Walker told the CBC. "They see something like this happen and it puts a little glimmer in their hopes that this can be done. It's the third time it's been done. Cy Youngs, Gold Gloves, rookie of the years. These are all things being accomplished by Canadian kids."
Strong Canadians Baseball Players in MLB
Walker was referring to Dodger catcher Russell Martin, a gold glove winner, and Jason Bay, who won the NL Rookie of the Year in 2004 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. For the Cy Young he may have meant Canadian Hall of Fame pitcher Jenkins, who won the award in 1972. He may also have meant Eric Gagne, who won the Cy Young with the L.A. Dodgers in 2003 and was the first NL reliever to win it in 15 years. Gagne remains under a cloud of steroid suspicion.
Other strong Canadian players now playing include pitchers Jeff Francis and Ryan Dempster; Dempster, who spent part of his career as a reliever, has 102 career wins and Francis has 55 but might now be at 100 and counting were it not for injuries.
Last count Matt Stairs has played on 12 Major League teams and won a World Series with the Phillies in 2008; the New Brunswick native has the major league record for career pinch hit home runs with 23.
Sources:
- Baseball Almanac, accessed November 22 2010.
- Harrison, Doug; 'Q&A Larry Walker on NL MVP Joey Votta'; published November 22, 2010, accessed same day; CBC Sports.
- Martini, Adam; 'Top Ten Canadian Baseball Players of all-time'; published October 13, 2010, accessed November 22; Suite 101.
- Ortiz, Jorge L.; 'Cincinnati slugger Joey Votto is near unanimous NL MVP'; published November 22, accessed November 23; USA Today.
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