It’s easy to see why Joey Votto may be fond of Kyle Lowry.



Both players have come by their success in large part due to their ability to analyze their respective sports at a high level. Votto has mastered a low-mistake hitting approach, wasting few at-bats with unproductive hacks that produce infield flies but accepting whatever the pitcher offers, often resulting in a free pass to first base. Lowry, meanwhile, works opponents and officials, hunting any advantage that might tilt the scales in his team’s favour, whether it’s hurrying an inbound pass, sneaking in for a charge, or stripping a rebounder on his way back up to the basket. There is a subtlety to each of their approaches that requires a more careful accounting of their value than Votto’s RBI or Lowry’s PPG numbers provide.



Votto, like Lowry, has long been one of the faces of his sport in Canada. Votto was one of just 11 Canadians to make an MLB appearance last year and, more to...