Joey Votto

Votto, now 35 years old, hit 12 homers last year after clubbing 36 in 2017. At least he maintained his stellar plate approach, tallying more walks (108) than strikeouts (101) while lacing MLB's second-highest line-drive rate (31.4%) behind Freddie Freeman. While still a commendable performer in OBP and points leagues, he'll need a power uptick to justify an early investment in roto and H2H category formats. A modest rise in last year's career-low 9.5% HR/FB rate should at least steer him closer to his .477 xSLG with 20-25 homers. That would make him a worthy bounce-back pick if paired with anything near his career .311 batting average.

Joey Votto reaches four times in Friday loss

Joey Votto was 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, and a run scored in Friday's loss to the Pirates.

Fantasy Impact

Votto was quoted earlier in the day essentially stating that he has had a down year by his own standards. While that can be considered true, the amazing part is that the "sub-par" season he has thrown together is still eons better than 2/3rds of the rest of the MLB. Votto will close out the final two games of the 2018 season looking to bump his .287 season average and 100:107 K:BB ratio up even further.