3 Greatest Canadian-Born MLB Players of All-Time

Canada has produced over 250 MLB players over the years, many of whom have gone on to become World Series champions, Hall of Famers, and baseball legends. The question is, out of this impressive bunch, who stands at the top as the greatest Canadian-born Major League Baseball players of all-time?

Let’s take a look.

Joey Votto

The Toronto-born Joey Votto is going into his 17th MLB season in 2023 as one of the most decorated first baseman in league history. The first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds has been a six-time MLB All-Star, seven-time Tip O’Neill Award winner, and two-time Lou Marsh Trophy winner for being Canada’s athlete of the year. Votto also has a National League MVP Award and NL Hank Aaron Award, which he took home in 2010. 

Considered the best slugger out of Canada, Votto has a career batting average of .297, 342 home runs, and 1,106 runs batted in. He’s had over 24 home runs in nine seasons of his career and over 36 three times. In his MVP year of 2010, he led the league in both on-base and slugging percentage, smashing 37 homers and driving in 113 runs.

Larry Walker

A native of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Larry Walker is the only Canadian hitter to make it into the MLB Hall of Fame. He’s the country’s all time leader in home runs at 383 and also holds the records for RBIs and stolen bases. 

Walker played for the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals in his 17 year career, going to 5 All-Star games and winning 7 Golden Glove awards. In 1997, he became the only player ever in major league history to complete a season with a .700 slugging percentage (SLG) and 30 stolen bases. The same year he won the National League Most Valuable Player Award (MVP).

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

You might be thinking, how does a 23-year old make it into an all-time list? If you’re as good as Vladdy is then you make exceptions. Guerrero is the son of MLB legend and Hall of Famer, Vladimir Guerrero Sr. and surprising to most, he was born in Montreal, not the Dominican Republic.

In his short tenure with the Toronto Blue Jays, Vlad has hit 95 home runs, which already puts him 11th all-time amongst Canadian hitters. In 2018, he was named Minor League Player of the Year, after batting a whopping .381 with 20 home runs and 78 runs batted in just 95 games. 

Then in 2021,Guerrero Jr. led the major leagues in home runs with 48, runs scored with 123 and total bases with 363. He made the AL All-Star team in 2021, and took home the MVP trophy, becoming the youngest player in All-Star Game history to do so. 

With many years to go, there is no telling where Vlad could end up in the all-time list for players born anywhere.

If you’d like to read more top all-time lists, check out our picks for the best Blue Jays pitchers of all-time and greatest Jays to ever play.