Fantasy MLB: Eye on Canada’s sluggers

The Canadian baseball community has more to be excited about than just the promising future of the Blue Jays. There are stars on the rise (Brett Lawrie), stars being stars (Joey Votto), and stars on the mend (Russell Martin).

While Justin Morneau and Jason Bay try to rediscover their swings, there are plenty of other Canadian sluggers to focus on.

Joey Votto, 1B, Reds

The Toronto native is having a hard time relinquishing his NL MVP award, as he has blasted six home runs over the last nine games with 13 RBIs over that span. This has been a more difficult season for Votto as the opposition is barely throwing anything for him to hit. As you can see, he’s taken two per cent more balls than he did last season:

Brett Lawrie, 3B, Blue Jays

The most hyped Canadian prospect in quite some time, so far Langley, B.C.’s Brett Lawrie has lived up to expectations. After a mini-slump that brought his average down to .310, Lawrie bounced back with a seven-game hit streak with plenty of power:

Russell Martin, C, Yankees

A move across the country has resulted in plenty of power for Russell Martin. The East York, Ont., native who grew up in Chelsea, Que., has been hitting his home runs in bunches. Twice over the last nine games he has come away with two round-trippers.

His best game to date came on August 25, as he went 5-for-5 with two home runs and six RBIs, including a grand slam home run. His power surge may be enough to hold down the starting job despite the presence of top prospect Jesus Montero in the Yankees farm system.

Justin Morneau, 1B, Twins

In the midst of his worst season in the big leagues, Justin Morneau’s statistics have taken a beaten. It seems like the former MVP winner is struggling with the basics. He is hitting an atrocious .144 against southpaws and he has yet to hit a home run at home. The road has not been much kinder to the New Westminster, B.C., native, as his average sits at just .199 away from Target Field.

It’s been night and day from a year ago:

To make matters worse, Morneau is suffering concussion-like symptoms again, which may threaten his career much like it did to former Canuck Corey Koskie.

Jason Bay, OF, Mets

The Mets have had some things go right this season, but what keeps them under .500 is the lack of a power presence from their left-fielder Jason Bay. The Trail, B.C., native has nine home runs and 10 steals to complement an underwhelming .229 average. The Mets have taken to benching Bay in recent weeks while providing more opportunities for their younger players.

Here’s a look at how his last season with the Red Sox compared with his first two seasons in New York: