Canadian Baseball Crunch: Joey Votto back where he belongs – among baseball’s best

Joey Votto came off the most frustrating season in his major-league career to deliver the most fulfilling.

After only playing 62 games in 2014 as he battled a knee injury, Votto played 158 games in 2015, was second in the NL in OBP (.459), third in OPS (.1000), and hit .314 with 29 home runs. He was particularly dominant in the second half, hitting .362/.535/.617 after the All-Star break and finished third in NL MVP balloting behind unanimous winner Bryce Harper and Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.

Because of the physical challenges he had to overcome, Votto said this past year was even more personally gratifying than 2010, when he was named MVP and the Reds made the playoffs.

"Being able to play every day and perform on a relatively consistent basis throughout the year, I felt like this year was my best year. It’s mostly because I played every day, that 2010 year, I played well, but I had quite a bit of more time off." Votto told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

But while Votto experienced individual success, the Reds had their worst season in almost 25 years.

"I do not like losing. That I can say," Votto told Yahoo's Tim Brown this summer as the losses piled up. The final number would wind up at 98 by the end of the regular season. Only the 99-loss Philies were worse.

The fall from fringe contender to also-ran has been precipitous in Cincinnati. It was just in 2013 that the Reds were in the postseason for the third time in four years. With Votto under contract through 2024, though, there's not much more that he can do other than digging in and playing like he did in 2015 when he reestablished himself as one of the preeminent hitters in the game.

His team might not be where it once was, but at least Votto is right back where he belongs: among baseball's best.

Lawrie trade coming?

Brett Lawrie could already be on the way out in Oakland. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that Lawrie is a good bet to be moved after the Athletics acquired infielder Jed Lowrie in a deal with Houston.

The 25-year-old Langley, B.C., native had a largely unremarkable first year for the last-place A’s following a trade that brought Josh Donaldson back to Toronto. Lawrie stayed healthy and played a career-high 149 games, but he didn’t impress at the plate hitting .260/.299/.408 and bounced between second and third base. Now he might end up on his third major-league team in as many seasons.

Stevenson's connection to 2015 Cy Young winners

Jim Stevenson, currently a scout for the Houston Astros, was a fan of Dallas Keuchel and Jake Arrieta long before they were Cy Young award winners. Ryan McKenna of the Canadian Press has the scoop on how Stevenson, who grew up in Toronto, had a part in Houston drafting Keuchel in 2009 and the Milwaukee Brewers selecting Arrieta in 2005, though Arrieta didn’t sign with Milwaukee and opted to transfer from junior college to Texas Christian University instead.

"To me it's still an honour to say you drafted both kids at one time," Stevenson told the Canadian Press.

FIRST TO HOME

1st:  All’s quiet around Justin Morneau’s free agency. Morneau, 34, was limited to 49 games in 2015 with the Colorado Rockies because of a concussion and related neck issues but he's expected to land a short-term deal, most likely with an American League team, where he can split time between first base and DH.

2nd: The Blue Jays signed left-handed starting pitcher J.A. Happ to a three-year, $36 million contract Friday, giving us a clearer picture of what their rotation will look like in 2016. Barring any more moves, Happ will slot in alongside Marcus Stroman, R.A. Dickey, Marco Estrada, and Jesse Chavez with Drew Hutchison lingering as a wild-card.

3rd: ESPN’s Keith Law ranked Stanford right-hander Cal Quantrill, son of longtime major-league reliever Paul Quantrill, as the No. 13 prospect heading into the 2016 MLB draft. Law adds that if Quantrill hadn’t undergone Tommy John surgery last March he would have been in the discussion to be the No. 1 overall pick.

Home: Steph Myles has the details for Eh Game about a possible new place for a ballpark in Montreal. The proposed location is near the old Forum and the developer who bought the land says he has a meeting with “one of the biggest major league baseball persons.” Stay tuned.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports. Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr