CBN HOF Series: Joey Votto on Larry Walker

Etobicoke Rangers grad 1B Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) sang the praises of newest Cooperstown Canuck inductee Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, BC). Will Votto be the next Canadian inducted.

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By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

So, now there are two Canadian players with plaques in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

RHP Fergie Jenkins (Chatham, Ont.) and OF Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, BC) were the first pitcher and position player inducted.

Former Coquitlam Reds OF Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, BC) joins Fergie Jenkins and Pat Gillick as Canadians in Cooperstown.

Let’s not forget former Blue Jays general manager Pat Gillick, winner of three World Series -- two with the Jays and one with the Philadelphia Phillies, where he is a minority owner.

We asked 1B Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) his thoughts on Walker and his Cooperstown induction ... since many experts predict Votto will be the next Canadian inducted. We did a Question and Answer session with the Cincinnati Reds veteran, currently hoping to get his team back to post-season play.

Canadian Baseball Network: Growing up, falling in love with baseball, did you watch hitters more so than pitchers. And like most future major leaguers did you go through stages that you “wanted to be just like ... ?” Who was the first you remember and why?

Votto: “I really liked Pedro Martinez when I was a teen. I used to intentionally tune into all his starts. I liked Nolan Ryan too, but I didn’t get to watch him much. When I was 14, 15 and 16 -- or maybe 15 and 16 -- I was able to watch Pedro, when he was with the Boston Red Sox during his dominant years. I didn’t really watch many hitters. I didn’t develop into hitting “hitting” and really become interested until I was a professional. When I was an amateur I mostly watched the Major League Scouting Bureau videos. My goal was to get to professional baseball. All the kids that I wanted to be like, what did they do?”

CBN: Who was the next hitter you admired? Was he a line drive hitter or a slugger? And who was the left-handed hitter you liked?

Votto: “The first professional hitter I really enjoyed watching was Barry Bonds. I was a young minor leaguer at the time. Bonds as you know hit left-handed.”

CBN: Assuming you were a Toronto Blue Jays fan growing up, did you see much of Walker on TV with the Montreal Expos?

Votto: “I did not see Larry on TV with the Expos, Vladdy -- I mean Vlady junior’s father -- was the star from that team we all talked about.”

CBN: At what time Larry Walker enter the picture? Was there anything between his swing and your swing that struck you as being similar?

Votto: “Larry never ever entered the picture. I don’t think I ever saw Larry play consistently play until he was with the Cardinals and they were playoff at-bats. And I obviously did not get to see him in his prime.”

CBN: Did any of the teams you spoke to in pre-draft meetings or at workouts compare your swing to Walker’s?

Votto: “No one compared my swings to Walker’s at all.”

CBN: The day you were drafted (June 5, 2002, second round, 44th over-all in North America) Walker went 2-for-3 for the Colorado Rockies in an 8-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field. Outside of Reds scout John Castleberry arriving at Pearson that night what are your other draft day memories?

Votto: “The only memory I have from that day is being so tired that I fell asleep on the couch and awoke to a contract.”

CBN: Do you remember the first time you ever met Larry Walker? Where was it?

Votto: “I met Larry Walker when I was playing for Team Canada at the World Baseball Classic in Toronto (in 2009). I had a bit more serious streak to me. Intense. Larry wanted me to be a little calmer. Now that I am little older I get what he was saying. But when you are in that window of time where you are trying to make it full of doubts and uncertainty, I was trying to hold on so tight. I don’t know if it is my nature, but that’s where I was. I wanted it so badly at the time. He talked about me having some more fun and playing a little easier. I wasn’t capable of doing it. Larry played with more fun than I did and good on him. But that didn’t work for me.”

CBN: Has Larry Walker inspired you in your big league career?

Votto: “As far as being his inspiration in my big-league career, it’s funny, the answer as I get older is yes, but I didn’t put my eyes on him during his career. He’s the first Canadian position player to be elected to Cooperstown. I will say this and how he inspired me ... he impressed the player that I admired the most during my career. I loved Ken Griffey, but the player I admired the most was Scott Rolen. Scott told me Larry was the best player he ever played with in terms of the entire game -- excellent defender, excellent base runner, great hitter -- and Scott played with Albert Pujols. Scott’s statement was ‘Larry’s the best player I’ve ever played with.’ That more or less prompted my research into Larry’s career. If you can impress Scott Rolen you have me impressed.”

CBN: Did you message or contact Walker to offer congrats when he was elected to Cooperstown in 2020 or after he was inducted?

Votto: “I think I messaged him the day he was selected. How he was well deserving and how it was long overdue. I was happy for him, very happy for him. And then, I messaged him congratulating him on his speech ... complimenting him (on induction day). He and I know each on other ... a little bit, but not a whole lot. I’m busy working and he’s busy being retired. At some point I’m sure we’ll cross paths and he’ll get to know the real me rather than the professional me. We’ll get to know each other better. I’m dialed in on competing and doing my job.”

CBN: Do you think Larry Walker’s Hall of Fame induction will inspire Canadian ball players?

Votto: “Yes, I think so. Firstly, a lot of kids want to make money. They want to make it to the majors. They want to be famous. They want to make it. They want to have something to target. This is another layer that inspires and adds to that. It’s attention. It’s recognition. It’s respect. For a person trying to chose between hockey and baseball, a player like Larry reminds young Canadian athletes ‘hey, we can do it too.’ He came from British Columbia which is a friendlier climate for baseball, but I am sure that there are athletes in Montreal that realize ‘Holy cow, he was an Expo, a Canadian player, maybe I can do it too.’ I’m not really sure, but I hope so.”

CBN: Did Larry Walker impact your swing during your career?

Votto: “No not really. Now that I watch it, it’s funny ... maybe yes. I really liked the way his bat came through the zone, how quick it was, how flat it was, how he was a natural pull hitter. I have a funny story. We were at that WBC at Rogers Centre in 2009 and Larry, a coach, decides to take batting practice near the end. I remember standing in the outfield and thinking ‘what in the world am I witnessing?’ This guy is an absolute super talent. That inspired me. I have a bit a competitive streak. In my head I’m thinking to myself ‘Wow, this guy is putting on a show, I need to match it or exceed it.’ And he was retired. Only now do I realize how good he was that day.”

(Canada was edged 6-5 by Team USA in front of 42,314 fans in a playoff atmosphere which many called the most exciting game of the year for the 75-win Blue Jays. It wasn’t Votto’s fault Canada lost as he went 4-for-5 with two RBIs, including a third-inning homer off Jake Peavy and double off closer JJ Putz making it a one-run game with one out in the ninth.)

CBN: What part of Larry Walker’s career did you find most impressive?

Votto: “I’m a big fan of players who can do nearly everything. So, a lot of athletes get an abundance of credit for things they can’t control. You can’t control how fast you are. How strong you are or how tall you are. But attention to detail I do think is something you opt into. That might be a personality trait, really good coaching or a variety of things. I don’t know. Larry had a reputation for being very ... I’m not going to use the word cerebral ... but he had really good instincts. I was told he was an excellent base runner, a good decision maker playing defence, obviously a gold glove calibre outfielder and he had a reputation for making good decisions at the plate based on the score. Those are the type of things I’m impressed by. I admire athleticism, I admire throwing the ball hard and being able to hit the ball far, but a lot of those things are not in an athlete’s control. It’s what has been given to them: genetics. If you are properly coached and you are willing go all in at doing all the little things. He was known for maybe being the best at that. I admire that. He was a great, great hitter, an all-time hitter, but he was also in the conversation as the best player in the game because of everything else he did.”