Joey Votto, longtime first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds, announced his retirement yesterday. Votto, a native of Canada, had signed a minor league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays this offseason, but missed much of the year due to an ankle injury, and had put up just a .165/.298/.271 slash line in 104 plate appearances in the minors this year, mostly at AA and AAA, leading him to decide the time had come.
Votto spent his entire major league career with the Cincinnati Reds, who drafted him in the second round of the 2002 MLB Draft. Votto broke into the majors in September, 2007, slashing .