St. Marys – Etobicoke, Ont.,
native Joey Votto will be presented with the Canadian Baseball Hall of
Fame's 2015 Tip O'Neill Award in a ceremony prior to the Cincinnati
Reds game against the Chicago Cubs on April 23 at the Great American
Ballpark in Cincinnati.
This will be the fifth time in six years that the Canadian first
baseman has received the award.
Based in St. Marys, Ont., the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame presents
this honour annually to the Canadian player judged to have excelled in
individual achievement and team contribution while adhering to
baseball's highest ideals.
To determine the winner, the Hall takes into account a number of
criteria, including each candidate's on-the-field performance,
contributions to their team, community and charitable endeavors and
support in fan voting.
The Cincinnati Reds first baseman staved off strong competition from
Toronto Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin (Montreal, Que.) and national
women's team star Nicole Luchanski (Edmonton, Alta.) to win the award.
"Joey Votto had a record-breaking, comeback season in 2015," said Scott
Crawford, the Hall's director of operations. "But the best thing about
him is that he's a superstar both on and off the field and he continues
to be an excellent ambassador for the game of baseball in Canada. We're
proud to once again honour him with this award."
After being limited to just 62 games in 2014, Votto rebounded to hit
.314 in 2015 and set new Canadian and Reds' single-season records for
walks (143) and times on base (319). He also topped the National League
(NL) in those categories and finished second in the NL in on-base
percentage (.459), third in on-base plus slugging percentage (1.000)
and fourth in slugging percentage (.541).
Votto, who shared the Tip O'Neill Award with John Axford in 2011, also
established a new Reds' record by getting on base at least twice in a
game 107 times and he tied Pete Rose's franchise mark by reaching base
safely in 48 consecutive games. The Canadian slugger's 7.4 WAR (Wins
Above Replacement) ranked fifth in the majors and his 29 home runs tied
the second highest single-season total of his career. For his efforts,
he finished third in the National League MVP Award voting and was a
finalist for the Players Choice Comeback Player of the Year award.
Votto also continues to be very active in charitable endeavors. His
ongoing contributions have led to the construction and completion of
the 33,000-square foot training center at the P&G Cincinnati MLB
Urban Youth Academy. The indoor complex, which bears his name, hosts
year-round baseball, softball, educational and vocational programming.
The Etobicoke native has also been a generous donor to UC Health
(Greater Cincinnati's Academic Health System) with a focus on patients
living with post-traumatic stress disorder and he has participated in
weekly Make-A-Wish experiences at the Great American Ball Park during
batting practice.
"It is very humbling to be recognized again by the Canadian Baseball
Hall of Fame when there are so many deserving players," said Votto. "I
have to thank the Baseball Hall of Fame for its efforts in promoting
the players and our game in Canada."
Aside from Martin and Luchanski, Brett Lawrie (Langley, B.C), Pete Orr
(Newmarket, Ont.), Dalton Pompey (Mississauga, Ont.) and Tyler O'Neill
(Maple Ridge, B.C.) also garnered significant support for the award.
The Hall's Tip O'Neill Award is named after Woodstock, Ont., native
James "Tip" O'Neill, who was one of Major League Baseball's first
legitimate stars. With the American Association's St. Louis Browns in
1887, O'Neill set big league records in hits, doubles, slugging
percentage and total bases, while compiling a major league record .492
batting average. Walks were counted as hits in 1887, but if O'Neill's
average was calculated by today's standards, it would be .435, the
second highest in big league history to Hugh Duffy (.438).
1985 – Dave Shipanoff
1986 – Rob Ducey
1987 – Larry Walker
1988 – Kevin Reimer
1989 – Steve Wilson
1990 – Larry Walker
1991 – Daniel Brabant
1992 – Larry Walker
1993 – Rob Butler
1994 – Larry Walker
1995 – Larry Walker
1996 – Jason Dickson
1997 – Larry Walker
1998 – Larry Walker
1999 – Jeff Zimmerman
2000 – Ryan Dempster
2001 – Corey Koskie
2001 – Larry Walker
2002 – Eric Gagné
2002 – Larry Walker
2003 – Eric Gagné
2004 – Jason Bay
2005 – Jason Bay
2006 – Justin Morneau
2007 – Russell Martin
2008 – Justin Morneau
2009 – Jason Bay
2010 – Joey Votto
2011 – Joey Votto
2011 – John Axford
2012 – Joey Votto
2013 – Joey Votto
2014 – Justin Morneau
2015 – Joey Votto
ST MARYS – 21 April 2016
Canadian Baseball
Hall of Fame & Museum
P.O. Box 1838 (140 Queen St.
E.) St. Marys, ON, Canada, N4X 1C2
Tel: (519) 284-1838 - Toll Free:
1-877-250-BALL Fax: (519) 284-1234
Website: www.baseballhalloffame.ca
Email: baseball@baseballhalloffame.ca
VISION: A culture which
champions education, respect, diversity and healthy lifestyles across
generations.