RADIO
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~220
CURRENT ADP: ~285 overall
ANALYSIS: While Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto has long been a staple of fantasy baseball lineups, those days of him as a guy who will lead your team to championships are long gone. The six-time all-star has not aged gracefully, slashing career lows in 2020. His season line was .261/.357/.411 with 15 HR, 47 RBI, and 79 runs, all very underwhelming statistics. His walk rate (12.5%) was the lowest since his sophomore season in the majors, and his strikeout rate (20.2%) was a new career-high.
However, Votto is still a real asset in OBP and points leagues and provides value in most formats based on his current draft price. There are many giving up on Votto, as evidenced by his current ADP, but he still offers some intrigue based on his strong eye at the plate, his ability to put the ball in play, and his spot in a formidable lineup.
Votto showed up to camp over a week early this year, something he's never done in his 13-year career.Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports that he is very likely to continue batting second in the order that includes Nicholas Castellanos, Mike Moustakas, and Eugenio Suarez. With an ADP of 285, Votto comes super cheap in 12 team leagues. While he's unlikely to ever be the Votto of old, his walk-to-strikeout ratio and likely strong R and RBI outputs at the top of the Reds lineup offer some nice upside at his current price, especially if he can slot into a UTIL or CI spot.
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