RADIO
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
Corbin Carroll: Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 20
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 13% of leagues ANALYSIS: Corbin Carroll was a first-round pick for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2019 MLB Draft, a consensus top-50 prospect, and was rostered to the 2022 NL Futures Game team. The D-Backs outfield may be stocked with formidable talent, but Carroll is ambitiously... Read More
JP Sears: Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 20
BALLER MOVE: Add in 15+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 9% of leagues ANALYSIS: 26-year-old Oakland A's starting pitcher JP Sears has been absolute money, essentially from his sophomore season at the Citadel and on. After going in the eleventh round of the 2017 MLB Draft, Sears moved through the minor leagues at a solid pace... Read More
Brian Serven: Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 19
BALLER MOVE: Add in 15+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 0% of leagues ANALYSIS: After going in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB Draft, it took several years of up and down play in the minors for catcher Brian Serven to make his way up to the Colorado Rockies. Now that the 27-year-old former ASU... Read More
Kyle Isbel: Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 19
BALLER MOVE: Add in 15+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 1% of leagues ANALYSIS: 25-year-old Kyle Isbel got a little bit of burn last season with the Kansas City Royals to the tune of solid results, and while things have started a bit slower for the former third-round pick from UNLV in 2022, his power/speed skillset... Read More
Ryan Pepiot: Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 19
BALLER MOVE: Add in 15+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 9% of leagues ANALYSIS: While the Dodgers may not need a ton of help this season, Ryan Pepiot has been a welcome recent addition to the LA rotation. A third-round draft pick in 2019, Pepiot earned his way into the top-100 prospect conversation before the start... Read More
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!
