After 27 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, Joey Votto sat around waiting for a new contract this offseason. Few teams were willing to take a chance on a 40-year-old player that has struggled with injuries and featured in just 156 MLB games over the last two season. In the end, it was Votto’s hometown team the Toronto Blue Jays that decided to take a chance on the lefty slugger.
Votto got off to a flying start with his new team and is doing to a pretty good job of quelling any doubts about his new minor league contract. In his first at bat in a Blue Jays uniform, Votto vame out swinging (literally) and rocketed a 392-foot shot over center field against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday. The fact that it came of Phillies ace and 2021 National League strikeout leader Zack Wheeler made the feat that much more impressive. It was a dream start for Votto, who grew up a Blue Jays fan.
First pitch swinging 😮
It's @JoeyVotto's FIRST homer in a #BlueJays uniform! pic.twitter.com/1cVrONpJ0N
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) March 17, 2024
Over 17 seasons with the Reds, Votto went on to hit 356 home runs, 1144 RBIs and finished with a .294 batting average. The Canadian has been selected to the All-Star Game on six occasions and won a Gold Glove Award. His greatest achievement though would be the NL MVP award he won in 2010 after finishing with an exceptional .324 batting average, 1.024 OPS and 37 home runs.
The season is still a few weeks and there are no guarantees that Votto makes the Opening Day lineup but the organization will definitely be keeping an eye on the veteran. If the Jays get off to a slow start in tricky series versus the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros, Votto could see a call up sooner than expected.
