Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Joey Votto

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Joey Votto made an impact.

Joey Votto is a retired Canadian-American professional baseball player who played his entire 17-year MLB career with the Cincinnati Reds. A six-time All-Star and 2010 NL MVP, Votto is celebrated for his exceptional plate discipline, high on-base percentage, and power hitting. He reached milestones such as 2,000 hits, 300 home runs, and 1,000 RBIs, making him only the second Canadian to achieve this. Votto earned multiple Tip O'Neill Awards and Lou Marsh Trophies, recognizing him as Canada's top athlete. He ranks high among active players in walks and on-base percentage, solidifying his place as one of the Reds' all-time greats.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1975: Reds Player Start All Games

Joey Votto became the first Reds player since Pete Rose in 1975 to start all 162 regular season games in a season and just the fourth player in franchise history to do so.

1978: Tied Reds Record

In 2015, Joey Votto tied a Reds record that was set by Pete Rose in 1978, when he got on base for his 48th straight game.

2002: Drafted by Cincinnati Reds

In 2002, Joey Votto was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds out of high school in the second round, 44th overall, marking the beginning of his professional baseball career. He also debuted in Minor League Baseball with the Gulf Coast League Reds that year.

2004: MLB Feat Since Ichiro Suzuki

After hitting a season-low .213 on May 31, Joey Votto became the first player in MLB since Ichiro Suzuki in 2004 to hit .400 after the All-Star break. He had a .408/.490/.668 in the second half of the 2016 season.

2004: Return to Dayton Dragons

In 2004, Joey Votto returned to the Dayton Dragons, where he had a strong season, hitting 26 doubles and 14 home runs with a .302 batting average, before being promoted to the Potomac Cannons in August.

2005: Played for Sarasota Reds

In 2005, Joey Votto played with the Sarasota Reds, hitting 19 home runs but experiencing a drop in batting average to .257 and striking out 122 times.

2006: Southern League MVP

In 2006, Joey Votto had a standout season with the Chattanooga Lookouts, leading the Southern League in batting average and total bases. He was named the Southern League's Most Valuable Player and a minor league all-star by Baseball America. He played in the All-Star Futures Game.

2006: Dominican Winter League

In 2006, Joey Votto played in the Dominican Winter League for Leones del Escogido, shortly before starting his major league career.

September 1, 2007: Promoted to Major Leagues

On September 1, 2007, Joey Votto was promoted to the major leagues by the Cincinnati Reds, marking a significant milestone in his baseball career.

2007: MLB Career Start

In 2007, Joey Votto began his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Cincinnati Reds, marking the start of his 17-year tenure with the team.

2007: Dominican Winter League

In 2007, Joey Votto played in the Dominican Winter League for Leones del Escogido, shortly before starting his major league career.

2008: Reds' Starting First Baseman

In 2008, Joey Votto became the Cincinnati Reds' starting first baseman, marking a significant milestone in his career. That season, he played in 111 games, his fewest since becoming the starting first basemen, achieved a .337 batting average, .474 on-base percentage, and .567 slugging percentage, along with 14 home runs and 56 RBI. Votto also had 94 walks, tying for the National League lead, and 18 intentional walks, leading the majors.

2008: Runner-up NL Rookie of the Year

In 2008, Joey Votto finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting to Geovany Soto. He set a new Reds' record for most RBI by a rookie with 84, surpassing Frank Robinson's 1956 record. He also led all NL rookies in hitting, hits, home runs, total bases, multi-hit games, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.

2009: Named NL Player of the Week

In 2009, Joey Votto was named the NL Player of the Week for September 21–27 after hitting 10 doubles in a five-game span, a feat not accomplished in 77 years. Despite missing 31 games, he was among the league leaders in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.

2009: Opening Day Starter

In 2009, Joey Votto was the Opening Day starter at first base for the Reds and had a strong April, posting a .346 batting average with 3 home runs and 20 RBI.

2010: Strong Start to Season

In 2010, Joey Votto had a strong start to the season, with four home runs and 12 RBI by the end of April. In May, he batted .344 with six home runs and 21 runs batted in, although he missed the last six games of the month due to a sore neck.

2010: Awarded MVP and Hank Aaron Award

In 2010, Joey Votto won the Hank Aaron Award and the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, becoming the first Reds player to win the MVP award since Barry Larkin in 1995. He expressed that the award would have meant a great deal to his late father.

2010: National League MVP

In 2010, Joey Votto won the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player Award and the Hank Aaron Award, solidifying his status as one of baseball's top players.

2010: Home Run Total

In 2010, Joey Votto's home run total was one above his home run count for the 2017 season.

January 16, 2011: New Contract

On January 16, 2011, the Reds and Joey Votto announced an agreement for a three-year, $38-million contract, securing his place with the team for the near future.

2011: Consecutive Home Runs

From September 10-11 in 2011, Joey Votto hit home runs in consecutive games.

2011: Started Season with Home Run

In 2011, Joey Votto started the season with a solo home run off Kameron Loe and achieved a .370 batting average, four home runs, and 14 runs batted in by the end of April. He also reached base in 27 consecutive games dating back to the previous season.

April 2, 2012: Signed Contract Extension

On April 2, 2012, Joey Votto signed a 10-year, $225 million contract extension with the Reds, making it the longest active deal in baseball and the longest guaranteed contract in MLB history at the time. The contract ran through the 2024 season.

2012: Second-Best Season Average

Joey Votto's .326 season average in 2012 was the second-best of his career, only behind his 2012 season, where he hit .337.

2015: Multiple Home Run Game and Ejections

In 2015, Joey Votto had a notable season, including hitting three home runs in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 9, marking the third time he achieved this feat in his career. He also faced ejections during the season, including one on August 2 following a bench-clearing brawl against the Pirates, and another on September 9 for arguing balls and strikes. On September 11, MLB suspended Votto for two games, with an option to appeal. By October 2, Votto tied a Reds record with Pete Rose. He ended the season with an MLB-leading 143 walks, a .314 batting average, 29 home runs, and 80 RBI.

2017: All-Star Appearance and Donkey Promise

In 2017, Joey Votto had a strong first half of the season, earning his fifth career All-Star appearance. He famously promised to buy teammate Zack Cozart a donkey if Cozart made the All-Star Game, which he fulfilled by buying Cozart a donkey named Donald. Votto also had a streak of consecutive games reaching base multiple times, spanning 20 games, the second longest in major league history.

2019: Batting Statistics and First Career Pop-Out

In 2019, Joey Votto batted .261 with 15 home runs and 47 RBIs. Notably, he hit a pop-out to first base for the first time in his career on April 17, which was his 6,829th plate appearance.

June 2020: Op-Ed on White Privilege

In June 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, Joey Votto wrote an op-ed in The Cincinnati Enquirer, reflecting on his white privilege and exploring systemic racism.

2020: Pandemic-Shortened Season

In the pandemic-shortened 2020 regular season, Joey Votto played in 53 games and batted .226 with 11 home runs and 22 runs batted in. He was the ninth-oldest player in the National League.

2021: Season Statistics

In 2021, Joey Votto finished the season hitting .266 with 36 home runs and 99 RBI.

August 14, 2022: Most Games by Canadian-born Player

On August 14, 2022, Joey Votto played in his 1,989th career game, passing Larry Walker for the most major league games played by a Canadian-born player.

September 2023: Love for Baseball

In September 2023, Joey Votto expressed that it was the first time in his career he realized he loved baseball, after years of expanding his life off the field.

2023: Final Season

In the 2023 season, Joey Votto played in 65 games with a .202 batting average. He played in his 2,000th game on June 30 against the Padres. Votto's last home run was against Andrew Suárez of the Cardinals on September 10. The final hit of his career was a single against the Pirates' Andre Jackson on September 24, and his final times on base were on September 26 against the Cleveland Guardians.

March 9, 2024: Minor League Contract with Blue Jays

On March 9, 2024, Joey Votto signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays that included an invitation to spring training. Votto injured his ankle during that time, which kept him on the injured list through July. He later announced his retirement from professional baseball on August 21, 2024.