After 17 seasons in a big league uniform, Canadian baseball legend Joey Votto has announced his retirement at the age of 40.
Votto posted on his instagram that he was officially retiring from the game of baseball, thanking his family, his former teammates and coaches alike for helping him in his career.
Votto was born in Toronto, but grew up in Etobicoke with his parents, Wendy and Joe, and his brother Tyler. He played hockey and basketball, alongside playing baseball for his hometown Etobicoke Rangers.
The Cincinnati Reds selected Joey Votto in the 2nd round, 44th overall in the 2002 MLB Draft. Votto would spend six seasons in the Reds’ minor league system before making his big league debut on September 4, 2007, at the age of 23. From thereon, Votto would go on to have an incredible career, establishing himself as one the of the best baseball players to ever come out of Canada.
In 17 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, Votto compiled a batting average of .294, an OPS of .920, with 2,135 hits, 356 homers, and 1,144 RBI. Votto was a six time All-Star (2010-2013, 2017-2018), a Gold Glove winner (2011), a Hank Aaron Award winner (2010), and the National League’s Most Valuable Player (2010). Votto hit a career high 37 homers during his MVP season in 2010. Votto signed a minor league contract with his hometown Toronto Blue Jays during the 2023 offseason. But after a ankle injury in Spring Training, and a campaign in which the veteran first baseman batted just .165 between the Rookie level Florida Complex League Blue Jays, Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays, and Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, Votto decided the time had come to say goodbye to the game of baseball.
Votto also represented Canada internationally on the stages of the 2009 and 2013 World Baseball Classic. He also won the Lou Marsh Trophy in 2010 and 2017, awarded annually to the Canadian athlete of the year.
Votto could potentially become the third Canadian player to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, following the footsteps of Fergie Jenkins (1991) and Larry Walker (2020). Votto will be eligible for induction in 2029.
