Late-round Reds draft pick stirs up major Joey Votto flashbacks

Joey Votto is one-of-a-kind, but the Cincinnati Reds have given their fanbase somewhat of a Votto-like clone with their latest draft pick. The Reds wrapped up Day 2 of the 2025 MLB Draft with a flurry of picks and one just happens to be a first baseman from Canada. Sound familiar, Reds fans?

The Reds selected Ty Doucette in Round 10 of the draft on Monday afternoon. The Rutgers standout was born in Halifax, Canada, which is east of Votto's hometown of Toronto. Doucette played first base for the Scarlet Knights the past two seasons while hitting .338/.414/.566 with 22 home runs and 103 RBI.

Heading into his college career, Doucette was viewed as a top-500 prospect and one of the top first basemen in that year's high school class according to Perfect Game. Doucette joined his college teammate Trevor Cohen — who was taken at No. 85 by the San Francisco Giants — as the second player from Rutgers selected in the 2025 MLB Draft.

Late-round Reds draft pick Ty Doucette stirs up major Joey Votto flashbacks

Doucette will likely head to Low-A Daytona to begin his professional career. Though it's unlikely that the 21-year-old will have the type of Hall of Fame career Votto enjoyed, Doucette posted a .431 on-base percentage this past season, suggesting he has a keen eye at the plate — a trait that Votto possessed during his 17-year career with the Reds.

The Reds chose not to exercise Votto's club-option following the 2023 season. The slugger became a free agent for the first time in his career, and struggled to find a team during the 2023-24 offseason. Votto finally landed a minor-league deal with his hometown Toronto Blue Jays, but after homering in his first spring training at-bat, he suffered an injury that would sideline him for months.

Votto attempted to make a midseason comeback with the Jays' Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, but he was unable to recapture that same magic that made him one of the greatest players in baseball history. Votto hung up his cleats last summer and retired at the age of 40.

Votto finished his career with a .920 OPS, 356 home runs, 1,144 RBI, six All-Star appearances, a Gold Glove, and an MVP Award. That's a high bar for Doucette, to be sure, but Votto began his minor-league career as a catcher. Who knows what the future holds for Doucette?

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