Cincinnati Reds’ first baseman Joey Votto is the best baseball player in the history of Canada

While Cincinnati Reds’ first baseman Joey Votto has been winning Tip O’Neill awards, he has also been proving that he is the best Canadian of all-time.

The Cincinnati Reds are lucky to have Joey Votto on their team.  He is one of only three Canadians to have ever won the MVP and in the running to do so again as he is most every year.  The other two are Larry Walker in 1997 and Justin Morneau in 2006.

This year is the sixth time in the past seven that Votto has won the Tip O’Neill award.  The award is presented to the Canadian baseball player who has excelled as an individual and a teammate, while adhering to baseball’s highest ideals.  Votto was more a rarity when the Reds drafted him in 2002 than Canadian players are today.

Votto hadn’t played a game in Toronto in eight years and this year was his first since winning his National League MVP award.  There was a long gap from Walker as MVP to Morneau and Votto as far as high profile Canadian baseball players go.

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So far only one Canadian has been elected to Cooperstown.  Pitcher Ferguson Jenkins of the Chicago Cubs is there, but Walker and Votto both may make it there some day.  Playing for the Blake Street Bombers of the Colorado Rockies is holding Walker back to a certain extent.

More from Joey Votto

• Joey Votto single-handedly saved the Reds’ bacon vs. the Pirates
• Will Joey Votto surpass Johnny Bench for the most HRs in Reds history?
• Reds: Joey Votto has been MLB’s best player since the All-Star break
• Reds: Joey Votto’s quest for a second MVP is very realistic
• Reds: Joey Votto making second-half push for NL MVP

Votto is unique in that he is the only Canadian ever to win the Hank Aaron Award.  Votto won it the same year as he won the MVP.  The award goes to the best overall hitter in each league every year.

There have plenty of great Canadian players, but none of them match up to the Cincinnati Reds’ Joey Votto.

Looking at the best Canadians players of all time, one quickly comes to three names in Jenkins, Votto, and Walker.

Jenkins is already in the Hall of Fame having gone 284-226.  He collected 3.192 strikeouts with a career ERA of 3.34.

Walker is really the bigger competition.  In addition to his 1997 NL MVP award, he has three Silver Slugger awards and seven Gold Gloves.  Walker also has three batting titles and one home run title.

Votto, however, has something even better than what  Walker has.  Five of the last seven years Votto has lead the NL in OBP.  He has also twice lead the league in OPS in that same time period.

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Votto has been the best offensive player in the National League since Albert Pujols left for California. The only person better in the majors right now is Mike Trout.  Is this the era with the best player ever and the best Canadian player ever?  It is definitely possible.