OTTAWA- Joey Votto is your 2015 Tip O’Neill Award winner, presented annually by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
The announcement was made today by the St. Marys, Ontario hall and museum after a selection process that takes into consideration a candidates on-field performance, contributions to their team, community and charitable endeavors along with a fan voting process that occurred in November.
“Joey 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.”
Votto, now a five time winner of the award (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015), put together a tremendous season in 2015 with the Cincinnati Reds hitting .314 with 29 home runs and 80 RBI, while leading the National league with 143 walks and 319 times on base. The Etobicoke, Ontario native was second in the NL in on-base percentage (.459) and third in on base plus slugging (1.000).
He finished third in NL MVP Award voting after capturing the award after the 2010 season.
With his fifth Tip O’Neill Award, Votto inches closer to Canadian Baseball hall of Famer Larry Walker who won the award a record nine times. Justin Morneau and Jason Bay have each won the award three times to sit in a tie for third on the all-time list.
Votto’s ties with Baseball Canada date back to 2005 when he suited up with the Senior National Team for the IBAF World Cup in Amsterdam. He’s represented Canada twice at the World baseball Classic (2009, 2013) and in 2011 became just the third member of Baseball Canada’s Wall of Excellence, presented by RBC Wealth Management.
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame will present Votto with the Tip O’Neill Award at a ceremony in 2016.
Tip O’Neill Award winners list
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