RADIO
Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto is a fantasy baseball waiver wire pickup and add in Week 18 of the MLB season. I break down why he can help and continue to help your team.
BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues
ROSTERED IN: 46% of leagues
ANALYSIS: It's not often that we advise you to rush out and pick up a 37-year-old player off of waivers, but here we are. Yeah, his .268 average is still far below his .303 career batting average and his days of hitting 25 homers and driving in 100 runs are over, but there is reason for optimism and really no reason that he isn't owned in 54% of leagues.
Everyone bailed on Votto after a disappointing April and a May that he missed all but four games of. It's time to go back and get Votto. He hit .293 with five homers and 17 RBI in the month of June. Hell, he even stole a base, his first in 18 months! His strong hitting has carried over into July as well. Votto is hitting .301 this month with another five homers and 17 RBI, along with 11 runs scored. He even netted his first triple since May 11, 2019 this month!
This isn't all just smoke and mirrors. His Statcast page shows that Votto is having perhaps his best season since 2015, the beginning of the Statcast era. His 14.1 barrel percentage is by far the best since Statcast came around and is in the 89th percentile of the entire major leagues. His hard hit percentage of 49.2% is in the 87th percentile. His average exit velocity and max exit velocity are in the 91st percentile and are his best in the Statcast era. What does this mean?
It means that Votto is finally healthy and seeing the ball well again. His chase rate of 20.9% is in the 89th percentile. His 15 homers, despite missing most of May, suggest that he could at least flirt with 25 homers this year. His xWOBA is far above where he currently sits, suggesting that his average could continue to climb. The .312 BABIP lends credence to that since he has only been below .313 twice in his career, once being his miserable 2020 season. Votto is staring down a .280/25/90 season and few are paying attention. It shouldn't have taken four homers in the last week to get us to take notice. Votto has been trending upward for almost two months now.
More Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups
Logan Henderson - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups and Prospect Stashes (Week 4)
BALLER MOVE: Monitor in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 3% of Leagues ANALYSIS: The Milwaukee Brewers called up their No. 12 prospect, Logan Henderson, earlier this week to give the team another fresh arm. The Brewers are dealing with injuries to Nestor Cortes (elbow), Aaron Civale (hamstring), Brandon Woodruff (shoulder), and Tobias Myers (oblique) early in the […]
Edgar Quero - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups and Prospect Stashes (Week 4)
BALLER MOVE: Add in 15+ Team / Two-Catcher Leagues ROSTERED IN: 1% of Leagues ANALYSIS: The Chicago White Sox called up their No. 6 prospect, Edgar Quero, on Thursday afternoon to make his MLB debut. Quero was acquired by the White Sox at the 2023 trade deadline in the deal that sent both Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo […]
Caleb Durbin - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups and Prospect Stashes (Week 4)
BALLER MOVE: Consider in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 6% of Leagues ANALYSIS: The Milwaukee Brewers have promoted infielder Caleb Durbin, who MLB Pipeline ranked as their No. 21 prospect coming into the season. Durbin will make his MLB debut on Friday night, batting ninth against J.T. Ginn and the Athletics. Before the game, manager Pat […]
Noelvi Marte - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups and Prospect Stashes (Week 4)
BALLER MOVE: Monitor in Deeper Leagues ROSTERED IN: 2% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Cincinnati Reds infielder Noelvi Marte has spent time in both the majors and minors this season. He originally started the year with Triple-A Louisville before being called up when Matt McLain went down with a hamstring injury. However, the Reds former top prospect only […]
Chandler Simpson - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups and Prospect Stashes (Week 4)
BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 6% of Leagues ANALYSIS: The Tampa Bay Rays are promoting their No. 7 prospect, Chandler Simpson, ahead of the team's series opener against the New York Yankees. The move appears to be connected to Richie Palacios heading back to the injured list with a knee issue. It will […]
Download Our Free Waiver Wire App
Like what you see? You can download our free fantasy baseball mobile app for iPhone and Android which includes more waiver wire recommendations at every position, 24x7 player news, notifications, injury alerts & daily articles.
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!
Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!
