Canadians Bryce Arnold (Grimsby, Ont.), left, and Nicolas Deschamps (Quebec, Que.) had the opportunity to play with baseball legend Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) in the Toronto Blue Jays' organization.

August 26, 2024

By Zach Worden

Canadian Baseball Network

When the Toronto Blue Jays signed Joey Votto to a minor-league contract in early March, there was hope that the former NL MVP could help the MLB club almost as much off the field as he did on it.

While the major-league portion of those hopes never came to fruition, the 31 games Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) spent on minor league diamonds provided Blue Jays prospects the opportunity to learn from one of baseball’s all-time greats.

As the minor league season has worn on, the Vancouver Canadians roster has undergone a large number of changes, including the promotion of a handful of players who spent time with Votto during the first baseman’s stint with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays.

Two of those players, now helping Vancouver push for a second straight Northwest League championship, hail from Canada themselves, in Blue Jays prospects Nicolas Deschamps (Quebec, Que.) and Bryce Arnold (Grimsby, Ont.).

“I love Joey, honestly. He’s a great dude,” Deschamps said of his compatriot before a game at historic Nat Bailey Stadium in Vancouver. “He kind of comes off as a hard shell type of guy, but once you start talking to him, he’s a really good guy. He would talk to us about his experience in the big leagues before games and give us help on how to handle adversity and stuff like that.”

For Arnold, who spends the majority of his time at second base, getting to dig in next to Votto was all about soaking up as much as he could from the six-time All-Star.

“It was awesome having a future Hall of Famer on your club. I played alongside him at second base while he was at first, just picking his brain, learning the game from him,” Arnold said from the Canadians’ dugout before recording his second High-A hit on Aug. 23. “Learning little things, talking about the swing, talking about the approach, all that kind of stuff.

“It was really cool just being around someone like that, that’s such a pro. I think he’s the definition of a pro. So humble, respectful, knows how to play the game. To be around him and see what he showed us in Dunedin and what he talked about in the locker room, it’s been unreal.”

Deschamps (Quebec, Que.), signed with the Blue Jays as an undrafted free agent in 2021 and has worked his way from the Florida State League to his mid-season promotion to Vancouver this summer, posting the best offensive numbers while taking a jump defensively behind the plate.

Canadians manager and North Delta, B.C. native Brent Lavallee called Deschamps a “development success story” for the Blue Jays, pointing to how the 22-year-old catcher has worked to improve over his three years in the organization.

Another step Deschamps says he has taken is in his preparation for the game, crediting Votto’s professional approach to every contest as something he has learned from and will continue to carry with him.

“He’s played for 20 years, so how he got his body ready, how he would go about opposing pitchers, stuff like that,” Deschamps listed as things he took from spending time as Votto’s teammate. “...That’s something I’ve taken seriously (from) him, being ready from the first pitch of the game and being ready to play.”

As far as individual experiences go, Votto treated the Dunedin team to a dinner that Blue Jays’ 2021 fifth-round pick and Canadians reliever Irv Carter called “the spread of the century.”

“It was a crazy dinner, there was a custom menu. So Joey’s the man. We love him, and I really thank him for everything he’s done for us,” Carter shared.

“We called him ‘Uncle Joey,’” Carter said before working three innings and picking up a win on Aug. 22. “It was awesome. Just the insight that he gave to the game and the calmness Joey had was outstanding to see. For a guy to be a future first-ballot Hall of Famer and just to be as nice as he was to us every single day was (amazing).”

Arnold (Grimsby, Ont.) as an undrafted free agent out of Campbell University in 2023 and had spent time with every Blue Jays’ affiliate before arriving in Vancouver, including a three-game stint in triple-A where he went 4-for-14 with a home run, double and seven RBIs.

The 23-year-old infielder grew up attending Blue Jays games and says he would check in on how Votto was performing with the Cincinnati Reds. Arnold has one pre-game speech from his veteran teammate in Dunedin that has stuck with him as a player battling to make his way through the minors.

“He said, ‘there could be one big leaguer in this locker room, there could be 10, there could be 15, there could be seven. It doesn’t matter,’” Arnold recalled. “‘You have to be on the field to play. Whatever you do in the cages is cage work, but as long as you’re on the field, it doesn’t matter what you do in the cage. It matters what you do on the field. If you’re performing on the field, you’re in a great spot.’”

So, although Votto’s shot at a comeback with his boyhood team ultimately fell short, he has clearly made his mark on young baseball players across the Blue Jays’ farm system, providing mentorship and insight. And it’s that impact that will stick with the Toronto organization, even when Votto didn’t.