Larry Walker nearly missed out on baseball’s finest honor.
Entering the 2020 election, Walker was in his tenth, and final, year of eligibility into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Fortunately for Walker, he was finally voted in. Walker became the first Canadian position player to ever be inducted into the hall of fame.
For years, Walker was the best Canadian player in Major League Baseball history. That is, until Joey Votto entered the scene.
Late in the 2007 season, the Cincinnati Reds called up a catcher-turned-outfielder from Toronto and stuck him at first base. In 24 games that season, he hit four home runs, knocked 17 runs in, and batted .321.
That would be a quick start to a great career for Votto.
Cooperstown is a lofty, but conceivable goal for Votto. He would be in elite company as the first Canadian infielder, second Ontario native, and the third Canadian to be inducted.
When all is said and done, who will we remember as the best Canadian baseball player to play in the major leagues?
Honorable Mention
Let’s not forget other Canadian-born players to cross the border and play for a major league team.
Two Canadian players made their debuts in 2003, and put together solid careers.
Jason Bay was born in Trail, British Columbia, which is only six miles from the border. Bay was drafted by the Padres, and after only playing three games for San Diego, he was traded to the Pirates. He played in Pittsburgh for parts of six seasons.
In his career, he slashed .266/.360/.481, with 222 home runs and 754 RBI. He was a three-time All-Star and the Rookie of the Year in 2004.
Justin Morneau was born in New Westminster, British Columbia, about 18 miles from Walker’s birthplace. Morneau definitely puts up more of a case than Bay to content with Votto and Walker.
Throughout his 14-year career in the major leagues, most of which he spent with the Minnesota Twins, he slashed .281/.348./481 and added 247 home runs and 985 RBI to his résumé. He was the AL MVP in 2006, the runner up in 2008, and the AL batting champ in 2014. He also has four All-Star games and two Silver Sluggers to his name.
There are other names we could add to this list. Pitcher Ferguson Jenkins, for instance, was the first Canadian player to be elected into the Hall of Fame.
Other significant Canadian pitchers include Éric Gagné and Ryan Dempster. But for simplicity, we will just talk about position players.
But this conversation could switch to pitching in the next few years. Two of the best up-and-coming Canadian players, James Paxton and Mike Soroka, are both pitchers.
Larry Walker vs. Joey Votto
How do you even begin to measure the greatness of two players? These two played in different eras, in different divisions, and against different competition.
We can look at traditional statistical categories, but those numbers don’t often tell the whole story. Sabermetrics can help, but should we reduce two entire careers on pure data?
If you combine statistics, sabermetrics, and various awards, we can paint a picture of the impact Walker and Votto had on baseball.
Traditional stats
Walker slashed .313/.400/.565 over the course of his 17-year career. He led all major leaguers in batting average three times, and in OBP, SLG, and OPS twice. Walker also collected 2160 hits, 383 home runs, 1311 RBI, and 913 walks.
In 1997-1999, the best stretch of his career, he slashed .369/.466/.694 with 109 home runs and 312 RBI. He won the NL MVP in 1997 after leading the league in home runs, OBP, SLG, OPS, and total bases.
Through 2019, Votto has only played for 13 seasons, so his career numbers are not quite on par with Walker’s. Over his career, Votto has slashed .307/.421/.519, with 1866 hits, 284 home runs, 944 RBI, and 1180 walks.
Votto’s best season was in 2010 in which he won the NL MVP. He led the league in OBP, SLG, and OPS while hitting .324 with 37 home runs and 113 RBI.
Votto led the NL in OBP for four straight years from 2010-2013, and then for another three from 2016-2018. He also led the league in walks five times since 2011.
While healthy, Walker was well capable of hitting more than 30 home runs and 30 doubles in any given season.
Meanwhile, Votto has led the NL in either walks or OBP every year since 2010, except for 2019 and 2014.
Looking at 162-game averages, Walker averaged 31 home runs and 107 RBI. Votto, on the other hand, only averages 27 home runs and 89 RBI. They average the same number of hits, but Votto gets 11 more walks and 24 more strikeouts.
What stands out about these numbers at an initial glance are two different styles of play. Walker hits with more power, but Votto is better at getting on base.
However, it’s still pretty difficult to judge whether one player is better than the other. Any manager would be thrilled to have either bat in their lineup.
Sabermetric stats
Wins above replacement is one metric that we use to compare players across eras.
Over 17 MLB seasons, Walker earned a WAR of 72.7, or an average of 4.3 a year. Votto has compiled a 60.2 WAR over 13 seasons, or 4.6 per year.
In Walker’s MVP season, he earned an astounding 8.9 WAR, but never got close to matching it in later seasons. He had five seasons of 5+ WAR, which is considered to be All-Star caliber.
Votto had a 7.0 WAR in his MVP season, but eclipsed that number twice in later seasons. His career high was 7.7, and had six seasons of 5+WAR.
For what it’s worth, Walker’s defensive metrics look far and away better than Votto’s.
Walker’s dWAR over his career is 2.0, which may not seem like much but at least it’s a positive number. Votto’s is -5.0, and even recorded a negative value when he won the Gold Glove.
Walker seems like the clear winner on defense, but it’s also important to note that they played different positions. In Votto’s defense, first base is a tough position to play.
For example, Eric Hosmer, a 4-time Gold Glove winner at first base, has a worse career dWAR than Votto.
In general, outfielders seem to post higher dWARs than first basemen. Does that take the advantage away from Walker?
Awards
While everyone may not agree with the awards that certain players receive, Hall of Fame voters take them into account.
Walker played in five All-Star games, won seven Gold Gloves, and three Silver Sluggers. He received MVP votes eight times, winning the award once and finishing in the top-seven three times.
Votto has six All-Star appearances and one Gold Glove. He also received MVP votes eight times, winning once, finishing in the top-three thrice, and finishing in the top-seven five times.
In fewer campaigns, Votto has more All-Star appearances and as many seasons with MVP votes. When he did receive votes, he averaged a seventh place finish in the race. Walker only averaged an 11th place finish.
While this shows Votto’s consistency, Walker still has a bigger trophy case. Walker’s Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers show just how dangerous he could be.
But we’re not just judging who was the better player–we’re judging who was the better Canadian player. So another award to consider is the Tip O’Neil Award.
The Tip O’Neil Award, named after MLB’s first Canadian player, is given to a Canadian baseball player “judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team contribution while adhering to baseball’s highest ideals.“
Votto and Walker both stand in elite company in terms of the O’Neil Award. Only Walker, Votto, and Morneau have won both the O’Neil Award and a league MVP.
Walker and Votto are by far the most prolific players in the history of the award. Walker won it nine times, while Votto won it seven.
To show how far they are in front of the pack, Morneau and Bay won it three times each, giving them a tie for third place.
While Walker spread his O’Neil Awards out fairly evenly over his career, Votto is currently in a two-year drought. That is the longest he has ever gone without winning it since his first win in 2010. Votto remains the only player to win it four consecutive times.
Conclusion
It is very difficult to compare two players who were both completely different. Their playing styles were as far apart as their hometowns.
Walker’s ceiling was higher than Vottos’, with better career highs in nearly every category. Walker had impressive power, and could even steal bases when he needed to.
Votto, on the other hand, didn’t have the flashy numbers that Walker had, but overall was more consistent. While his ceiling was lower, his floor was much higher. He doesn’t hit with the same kind of power, but has a knack for getting on base.
If you could pick one player in their prime, you would probably pick Walker. If you compare Walker’s 1997 to Votto’s 2010 (arguably the best years of their careers), Walker wins easily.
But if you had to build a franchise around a player for over a decade, Votto would be the best option.
Whether you think one is better than the other, one thing is clear: Walker and Votto are in a class all by themselves. No other Canadian hitters have been so dominant and so consistent in the Big Leagues than these two.
Votto is under contract until 2024, so he could have a longer career than Walker if he plays it out. He is, however, entering his age-36 season, which where Walker saw his own game decline.
If Votto puts together a few more good seasons before his eventual retirement, then he may have the advantage over Walker.
But for now, it looks like Walker and Votto are ranked 1-a and 1-b in Canadian baseball.