The 5 greatest Canadian players in MLB history

In honor of Canada Day, we're counting down the five greatest Canadian players in MLB history.

5. Justin Morneau

Born in British Columbia, Justin Morneau had a productive run in baseball, mostly with the Twins at first base, and might still be playing today were it not for the concussions that plagued his career.

Morneau broke out in 2006, when he hit .321 with 34 home runs and 130 RBIs to earn American League MVP honors. From 2007-2010, he was nominated to the All-Star Game.

In 2010, he suffered a concussion just before the All-Star Game and missed the rest of the regular season because of post-concussion syndrome. His production began to dip soon after, but in 2014, Morneau proved that he could still play, when he led the National League in batting average (.315) as a member of the Rockies.

He retired after the 2016 season, and was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020. Morneau was a three-time Tip O'Neill Award recipient.

4. Tip O'Neill

Not to be confused with the former Speaker of the House, this Tip O'Neill was called "Canada's Babe Ruth," because of his abilities as a two-way player (outfielder/pitcher).

O'Neill was born in Springfield, Ontario and got his start playing in a league in Woodstock, Ontario, hence the nickname "The Woodstock Wonder." His debut with the Giants in 1883 was brief, but his career took off in 1884, with the St. Louis Browns.

His "MVP" year (no such award existed then) came in 1887, when he led the American Association in batting average (.435), runs (167), hits (225), doubles (52), home runs (14), and RBIs (123). O'Neill also pitched well in the one season the Browns let him. He went 11-4 with a 2.68 ERA. He also won a World Series in 1886.

O'Neill's legacy lives on through the Tip O'Neill Award, which is given to the top Canadian baseball player of the year, as selected by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame since 1984. O'Neill was part of the Hall's inaugural class of 1983.

3. Joey Votto

Third all-time in WAR (62.01) among Canadians is Reds first baseman and Toronto native Joey Votto.

Votto received both the MVP and his first of six All-Star Game nods (a record for a Canadian-born player) in 2010. Votto has led the NL in on-base percentage seven times over 13 seasons. He's also received seven Tip O'Neill Awards.

And Votto may still have some gas in the tank at age 36.

2. Larry Walker

Just the second Canadian player elected to the American Baseball Hall of Fame, British Columbia's Larry Walker is second in WAR among his countrymen (72.74).

Walker got his start in Canada with the Expos, but his career took off in Colorado. He won the NL MVP in 1997 and led the majors in batting average three times after that. The five-time All-Star amassed seven Gold Gloves in right field and has more Tip O'Neill Awards (eight) than any other player.

1. Ferguson Jenkins

First in WAR among Canadians (84.15), Chatham, Ontario's Ferguson Jenkins was the first Canadian elected to the MLB Hall of Fame.

His heyday came with the Cubs, when "Fergie" was a perennial Cy Young contender. He finally won the award in 1971, when he went 24-13, with a 2.77 ERA and a 7.11 strikeout/walk ratio, and pitched a league-leading 325 innings. That was not an isolated incident — Jenkins' "rubber arm" allowed him to go the distance in nearly 45% of his starts.

Honorable mentions: Jeff Heath, John Hiller, Matt Stairs, Russell Martin, George Selkirk  

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