GOODYEAR, Ariz. – Before making the announcement that he would suit up for Canada at the World Baseball Classic, Joey Votto started with an apology.
The Cincinnati Reds superstar was sorry the decision took so long, and about making people wait for him. The uncertainty caused some of his former coaches to cancel trips to Arizona to watch him play, and he felt bad about that.
Only after making amends did he deliver the news that gave the national team a nice lift Monday as they took the field at Goodyear Ballpark for their first workout ahead of Friday’s tournament opener against Italy, especially after reliever Jesse Crain’s withdrawal late Sunday because of a shoulder injury, and Russell Martin’s jarring decision last week to bail because he didn’t want to catch.
Votto’s determination to play was exactly what the Canadians needed to wash away any lingering distaste over Martin’s selfish shortstop-or-bust ultimatum, a return to the country-first camaraderie so ingrained in the national team culture.
“It makes a difference to have the guys there that should be there,” said Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau, who literally has the Maple Leaf tattooed on his right shoulder. “It’s such a tough tournament when you don’t have the depth like some of the countries have.
“We’ve got a lot of guys battling for jobs that can’t be here — you look at (Jason) Bay, you look at (Jeff) Francis, guys that need to be in camp that would make a difference on the roster, you can’t fault those guys for that. But for the most part, any time a Canadian is asked to represent their country they’re proud to do it, and it’s a pretty rare occurrence if that doesn’t happen.”
Votto, who will split duties at first base and designated hitter with Morneau, is no exception to the rule, but needed the extra time to ensure his left knee is ready to handle the rigours of competition.
The 29-year-old injured himself on a hard slide into third base last summer and underwent two surgeries afterwards, one in July to repair a torn meniscus and another in August to remove a loose piece of cartilage. Though he returned to play in September, he wasn’t clearly wasn’t 100 per cent, posting a slash line of .316/.505/.421 in 25 games with eight doubles and no home runs.
This spring he gave both himself and the Reds — who have US$225 million invested in the 2010 National League MVP — peace of mind by hitting a homer and two doubles in 16 at-bats over eight Cactus League games.
Once everyone signed off, Votto signed on.
“I was very clear to everyone that I needed the games to make sure my knee was healthy and heading in the right direction,” Votto told a large group of media gathered at the nearby Reds’ training facility. “I feel confident in it and confident in my commitment. I feel I can comfortably play. I’ve never been hurt before, and I wanted a little more of a grace period before the tournament to make sure I’m ready for my primary commitment to the Cincinnati Reds.”
Votto won’t join the Canadians until Thursday when they work out at Chase Field ahead of Friday’s tournament opener against Italy, and he won’t play in Wednesday’s exhibition against the Reds, but is happy to have the uncertainty removed from his status.
“The only thing that was a little frustrating for me was that I couldn’t get people straight answers,” he said. “They were often pretty ambiguous, but it was a situation where I couldn’t commit either way. I didn’t want to lead anybody on. I wanted to be able to pull out if my knee wasn’t feeling well.”
No need for that now, and manager Ernie Whitt plans to bat him third in front of Morneau, Brett Lawrie and probably Michael Saunders, an imposing heart of the order even without Martin, but one that would have been thin without Votto.
“He means an awful lot to this ball club. We’re really thrilled about that,” Whitt said. “The other situation, it’s behind us. All I know is I’ve got 28 guys out here that are excited to be here, they want to be here and they’re going to represent their country very well.”
With Votto in place, the only roster issue remaining for the Canadians is replacing Crain. One possibility is New York Yankees prospect Evan Rutckyj, a 21-year-old lefty from Windsor, Ont., who can generate some swing and miss out of the bullpen.
A decision on that front is expected in the coming days, but everyone is feeling a little bit better now that Votto has made his.
“I look forward to playing for the team, I look forward to being part of the tournament,” said Votto. “It’s not very often you get to represent your country in a big tournament like this, I never got to play in the Olympics, but this is the next best thing. I had a great time in Toronto in 2009 and I hope we have a better time, we do some winning, move on and hopefully win the tournament.”
Aspirations that now are a little more likely.