Here’s a look at why fantasy baseball owners should attempt to take on the value that’s become Joey Votto.
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Joey Votto walks
He walks more than anyone else. Over the last seven years (and including two injury-plagued seasons), he has walked 728 times. By comparison, Miguel Cabrera has 565 walks and David Ortiz 524. Over the last two seasons alone, he has taken a free pass to first base on 251 occasions.
Joey Votto is a batting average God
He is a career .313 hitter. Over the last two years, he ranks fourth with a .320 batting average. The top of the list is the Astros superstar Jose Altuve with a .326 AVG. Altuve achieved this with 93 walks. Joey Votto had 251 walks. If Votto had walked just 93 times like Altuve, and reached first base via a single on the other 158 occasions, his batting average would have skyrocketed to .405 AVG. Coincidentally, that is just below his .408 batting average in the second half of last season.
Joey Votto gets on-base
He was second behind Justin Morneau in 2010 with a .424 OBP; third behind Miguel Cabrera and Jose Bautista in 2011; first in 2012; second again in 2013, 2015 and 2016. His injury-hampered 2014 is the only anomaly when he finished a ‘lowly‘ 10th place. Combined over the last seven years, only three players have an on-base percentage above .400; Mike Trout with a .405 OBP, Miguel Cabrera with a .414 OBP and then clear daylight to Votto at the top of the list with a .435 OBP.
Joey Votto hits
Votto is a pitcher’s worst nightmare. He has no discernible hole, he hardly ever swings at balls outside the strike zone (20.8% – fifth best) and when he does swing at balls he usually makes contact (75.8% top-25).
Joey Votto is getting better
In the second half of last season, he slashed a career-high .408/.490/.668 with 107 hits, 53 runs and 55 RBI.
Joey Votto is underrated
Over the last seven seasons, the only occasions that Votto has not finished as a top-10 hitter were the injury-plagued seasons of 2012 (374 at-bats) and 2014 (220 at-bats). He offers consistent first-round production yet you can draft him at the end of the second round or start of the third.
The Lineup
Everyone knows that the Reds are rebuilding and are not the force they once were, but it is less widely known that despite fielding a below-average team on numerous occasions last season they scored more runs that the playoff bound Mets or Giants.
And the Reds are likely to see improvements as the young brigade of Dilson Herrera, Jose Peraza and Jesse Winker make their mark. The lineup will be headed by speedster Billy Hamilton, and Joey Votto will be protected by Adam Duvall, fresh off his All-Star, 33-home run, 103-RBI breakout season.
The Expectations
History suggests that if Votto stays healthy he will finish as a top-10 hitter. The floor is high and his skillset helps protect him from slumps. Votto may never be the top player in fantasy or even the best player at his position, but he will perform at an elite level, arguably offering first-round production for a second- or third-round pick.
The Value
Votto is not as high profile as other elite first basemen. Maybe he is still tarred with the reputation of preferring to walk than single or maybe it is the rebuilding Reds’ supporting cast, but whatever the case he does not get the love he deserves, so there is usually value to be had on draft day.
The expert consensus rankings put Votto 18th but the early-season ADP on NFBC drops him down to 25th. Even some experts are ranking him as low as 29th. Votto might be the only player in the 20-30 range that you can almost guarantee producing first-round value.
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Gavin Tramps is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Gavin, check out his archive or find him @_tramps.