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Hey, my name is Nathan and Joey Votto is my favorite player in the MLB. I really like Joey not only because he's currently the best Canadian player in the major leagues but also because he went to the same high school as me, Richview Collegiate Institute in Toronto, Ontario.

Joey has played in the MLB for eight years, all with the Cincinnati Reds. He is a 4 time All-Star and the 2010 National League MVP.

In 2012, Joey signed a 10-year, $225 million contract extension with the Reds that runs through to the 2024 season including the 2 years remaining on his current contract.

Joey has also played for Team Canada on various occasions.

Biography

Growing Up

Joseph Daniel Votto was born on September 10, 1983 in Toronto, Canada.  He grew up in the western Etobicoke section of the city. Joey’s mother, Wendy, was a sommelier and restaurant manager. His father, Joseph, was a chef and a huge baseball fan. 

From the time he was a little boy, Joey and his dad played catch almost every day. Joey had a strong arm, but his left-handed batting stroke—though quick—was crude and undisciplined. He worked with his dad and various coaches over the years. Slowly but surely, his swing began to resemble the powerful hack fans see today.

Joey enrolled in high school in 1997 at the Richview Collegiate Institute in Toronto. The school had produced Prime Minister Stephen Harper and hockey star Scott Mellanby. RCI was known for its great sports teams. Joey worked tirelessly on the baseball field. He played a little basketball, too, but he had no interest in hockey.

Showcasing his skills in various tournaments that spring, Joey wowed the scouts and was back on the radar for the June draft. The Reds were especially interested. They invited Joey to work out at Riverfront Stadium. Among the talent evaluators on hand were Griffey Jr., Johnny Bench and manager Bob Boone. Joey stepped into the batter’s box and drew smiles from those in attendance when he did the Junior waggle on the first pitch. He then went back to his normal swing and blasted four pitches out of the park.

Joey was still on the board in the second round. When it came time for the Reds to pick, they grabbed him. He signed for $600,000 and joined the organization’s Gulf Coast League club in Sarasota. In 50 games, Joey batted .269 with nine home runs and 33 RBIs. He tied for the league lead with 25 extra-base hits. Joey did all this while playing three different positions—catcher, third base and the outfield. Jim Bowden, the Reds’ GM, had ordered the move away from behind the plate. Joey was later moved down to the Billings Mustangs, where he hit .317 in the season’s final 70 games and earned honorable mention on the Pioneer League’s postseason All-Star team as a first baseman. As far as the Reds were concerned, this would be his big-league position.

Minor Leagues

Joey split the 2004 campaign between the Dragons and the High Class-A Potomac Cannons. He batted a cumulative .301 with 19 homers and 92 RBIs—a fantastic performance for a 21-year-old. After the season, he kept playing in the Florida Instructional League and was named the circuit’s top player.

The Reds switched their High Class-A affiliation in 2005, dumping Potomac and picking up Sarasota. Joey spent the entire year with the new club. He counted among his teammates Chris Dickerson and Johnny Cueto. All three were seen as top prospects. In a few years, the Reds hoped to see the trio in the majors.

The ’04 season was a different story. Sarasota never got untracked and finished eighth. Joey had his problems as well, batting a mere .256. He did show good power, leading the club with 23 doubles, 17 homers  and 83 RBIs. The Reds sent him to the Arizona Fall League, sensing that he might be only a year or two away from stardom.

Their faith was rewarded in 2006 when Joey led the Class-AA Southern League with a .319 average and was also tops in hits, runs, walks, doubles, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and total bases. Second in the league in homers with 22, he was an easy pick for MVP. Behind this great performance, the Chattanooga Lookouts won the first-half pennant and ended the year with an overall record of 81–59.