Joey Votto

Joseph Daniel "Joey" Votto (born September 10, 1983 in Etobicoke, Ontario) is a Canadian Major League Baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds. He plays first base.

Early career

Drafted out of high school (Richview Collegiate Institute) in the second round of the 2002 MLB amateur draft by the Reds (44th overall), Votto's first few professional seasons with the Reds' rookie-level affiliates were quiet. However, Votto burst onto the scene in , when he hit 26 doubles, 14 home runs, and sported a batting average of .302 with the Class A Dayton Dragons. He was promoted to Class A Advanced Potomac, and hit five more home runs in 20 games to end the season with 19.

However, during Votto's campaign with Sarasota, his consistency declined. While he still hit 19 home runs, Votto struck out 122 times and his batting average dropped nearly 50 points to .256.

He rebounded in 2006, batting .319 with 22 home runs and 24 stolen bases Chattanooga. Votto spent the majority of the 2007 Spring Training with the Cincinnati Reds and made the 40 man roster but was sent down to the AAA Reds' affiliate Louisville

2006 season

Votto's season was the best of his career. Playing with Class AA Chattanooga, he improved his batting average to .319 and hit 46 doubles and 22 home runs. He led the Southern League in batting average and total bases and was third in the league in home runs and RBI. Votto was selected to play in the 2006 Futures Game on the World Team. He also played on both the Mid-Season and Post-Season Southern League All-Star teams, and was voted a minor league all-star by Baseball America. Votto culminated his season by winning the Southern League MVP award.

2007 season

Votto started off the season playing in Triple-A for the Louisville Bats. He was called up on September 1, 2007. He made his Major League debut on September 4, 2007, striking out against Guillermo Mota of the New York Mets. In his second major league at bat Votto hit his first career home run. Votto ended the season on a good note, going 2-for-4 with a home run and 5 RBI in the Cincinnati Reds' final game of the 2007 season.

2008 season

Beginning the season, Votto shared time platooning at first base with Scott Hatteberg, until Manager Dusty Baker began playing Votto as the Red's starting first basemen in early April. On May 7, 2008, Votto hit three home runs in a game against the Chicago Cubs. He broke the Reds record for the most Runs batted in by a rookie in a single season. The previous record was held by National Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench with 82 RBIs set in 1968. Votto drove in 84 runs during the 2008 season. He also is a very strong canidate for the National League Rookie of the Year award.

See also

• Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game

References

External links

• Joey Votto career statistics from MILB.com
• Feature on 1B Joey Votto from MILB.com