MLB: Joey Votto leads the Canadian way
The all-star game has come and gone for Major League Baseball players and it’s time for the boys of summer to return to work.
Among Canadians, former National League MVP Joey Votto — the Cincinnati Reds’ first baseman — is again putting up the best numbers. He’s seventh in the National League with a .318 average, tied for 12th in homers with 15 and was a starter in the all-star game.
He’s become the standard bearer now for Canadian baseball, supplanting Justin Morneau as the country’s top position player and hitter.
Here’s a look at how the other Canadians in MLB are faring at the all-star break:
Jim Henderson, P, Milwaukee Brewers. Hometown: Calgary.
The 30-year-old righthander finally made it to the majors last season and pitched 30 innings in relief. This season, he’s already at 33 innings and his ERA has improved from 3.52 to 2.41 while saving 10 of 13 opportunities.
Brett Lawrie, third base/ second base, Toronto Blue Jays. Hometown: Langley, B.C.
Like the rest of the Jays, Lawrie’s season has been one of major disappointment. He suffered a rib injury just before the start of the World Baseball Classic, was scratched for the tournament and also missed the beginning of the MLB campaign. Then in late May, he sprained his ankle sliding into second base and missed another six weeks. In 39 games, Lawrie is batting just .204 with 14 RBIs and his on-base percentage is .261, well below his career numbers.
Michael Saunders, OF, Seattle Mariners. Hometown: Victoria.
The 26-year-old had a breakthrough season in 2012 when he slammed 19 dingers, added 31 doubles and three triples. He had 507 official at-bats and hit .247 with an on-base percentage of .306. This season, his OBP is an almost identical .303 but his average is down to .225 and he’s sitting at just six homers. It appears Saunders has taken a sideways step this season, rather than another one forward.
Justin Morneau, 1B, Minnesota Twins. Hometown: New Westminster, B.C.
Morneau was enjoying a terrific first half in 2010 — .345, 18 homers, 56 RBIs — when he suffered a concussion sliding into second base. His season was ruined and so was 2011 because of wrist, neck, foot and shoulder injuries and more concussion-like symptoms. He began coming back in 2012, batting .267 in 134 games. This season, the 32-year-old’s average is marginally better at .273 but his home-run total is a pedestrian seven. He was a 30-plus homer guy in his prime years. Can he come all the way back?
Ryan Dempster, P, Boston Red Sox. Hometown: Gibsons, B.C.
In his best season, the 36-year-old right-hander was a 17-game winner with an ERA below 3.00. That was five years ago. Now Dempster will have to be content trying to hit double-digit victories as he sits at 5-8. At least he’s on the good Red Sox, who lead the AL East, and not the bad Red Sox of last season. Dempster’s ERA this year is 4.24 in 110 innings pitched.
Jason Bay, OF, Seattle Mariners. Hometown: Trail, B.C.
Once a .300 hitter with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the 34-yearold is now a part-time player with the M’s. Bay has appeared in 64 games and is batting only .214, although he does have 11 homers.
Russell Martin, C, Pittsburgh Pirates. Hometown: Montreal.
So what did Martin know and when did he know it? He left the perennial contender Yankees after two seasons for the perennial doormat Pirates, who managed the dubious feat of 20 consecutive losing seasons before 2013. Now those Pirates are the second-best team in baseball at 56-37 and looking like the Yankees of old. Martin’s numbers aren’t particularly eye-popping — .239 with eight homers and 34 RBIs — but he’s obviously having a positive impact on the Pirates’ fortunes.
John Axford, P, Milwaukee Brewers. Hometown: Simcoe, Ont.
Axford had two dominating seasons as the Brewers’ closer in 2010 and 2011, where he converted 70 of 75 save opportunities. Last season he wasn’t nearly as good, although he still converted 35 of 44 chances, but his ERA ballooned to 4.67 from the previous season’s 1.95 and this season hasn’t been much better. His ERA is 3.72 and he has zero saves in four chances.
Erik Bedard, P, Houston Astros. Hometown: Navan, Ont.
The once-prominent lefty, who went 13-5 with the Orioles in 2007, is pretty much a journeyman now. He was 7-14 with the Pirates last season and his ERA was no thing of beauty at 5.01. This season, with the bottom-feeding Astros, Bedard, 34, is 3-6 with a modestly improved ERA of 4.61. He’s walked 46 and fanned 79 in 91 innings pitched.
Scott Diamond, P, Minnesota Twins. Hometown: Guelph, Ont.
After winning 12 games last season, Diamond is almost halfway there again, although he likely isn’t pleased being 5-8 at the all-star break. His ERA has taken a dramatic turn for the worse, however, and sits at 5.32, considerably higher than last season’s 3.54.
George Kottaras, C, Kansas City Royals. Home town: Toronto.
As the backup to Salvador Perez, Kottaras has seen limited action this season, appearing in 28 games and getting just 56 official at-bats. He’s batting .179 but his OBP is .352 and he does have four homers.
Jesse Crain, P, Chicago White Sox. Hometown: Toronto.
Currently on the 15-day disabled list with a sore shoulder, the 32-year-old reliever has a sparkling ERA of 0.74 in 36 innings pitched. He’s 2-3 on the season, the same record he had a year ago with the Chisox.
Taylor Green, 3B ,Milwaukee Brewers. Hometown: Comox, B.C.
A utility infielder, Green appeared in just 15 games and was hitting .139 with the Brew Crew before having seasonending hip surgery in April.