Joey Votto

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joseph Daniel Votto (born September 10, 1983 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a minor league baseball player in the Cincinnati Reds organization. Votto plays first base, and is part of the Reds' 40-man roster for the 2007 season.

[edit] 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 2004, 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 2005 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.

[edit] 2006 season

Votto's 2006 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 lead 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.