Connor Joe

Joe got his first significant chance in the majors outside of Coors Field and things largely went well, as he maintained a 107 wRC+ and .332 wOBA across 472 plate appearances. His performance wasn't quite as smooth as that number would suggest, as he struggled through the middle part of the campaign after getting off to a hot start. That began to cost him playing time, though the season-ending injury to Andrew McCutchen and departures of both Carlos Santana and Ji-Man Choi gave Joe a reprieve. He took advantage by slashing a respectable .256/.345/.422 across 207 plate appearances in the second half of the season. That gives Joe a credible case to begin the 2024 season a starter in the Pittsburgh lineup, but he's likely to begin the season in a short-side platoon role with Rowdy Tellez at first base while also potentially picking up some plate appearances at DH and the outfield.

Joe's career path took a bit of a dip last season as he struggled a bit with injuries, but also did not enjoy as much of the Coors Magic he enjoyed in 2021. The first base/outfield eligibility helps in NL-Only formats but the path to playing time is rather gray even after being traded to the Pirates. There is not a path to a starting job for him as long as everyone is healthy or locked down on the roster. There is not even a clear platoon situation which works out well because Joe's defensive limitations marginalize him to corner outfield or first base. The disciplined approach at the plate certainly makes it tough to give up on him, so remind yourself to draft skills not roles and hope something opens up for him.

Joe is on to his fifth MLB organization since being drafted in 2015, but he appears to have finally found a home with the Rockies. He had bounced around the minors with enough hitting to where he could have come up as a short-side platoon player, but stops in Los Angeles and San Francisco did not exactly leave much room for opportunity with their talent-laden rosters. Colorado presented him the chance and he made the most of it with an impressive rookie season. He did indeed do better against lefties (.941 OPS) than righties (.813 OPS), but the versatility to play left field, first base and now the DH spot should help him grab more at bats throughout the season. There is not another skill level to be realized here as much as there should be more volume in 2022 assuming he remain with the Rockies. However, the surprise signing of Kris Bryant figures to cut into Joe's potential workload.

Joe has all of 16 PA at the major-league level and yet he is now in his fifth major-league organization after he signed as non-roster invitee with the Rockies in late November. At 28 years old, his window of opportunity to show he can hit at the big-league level is closing, but he picked a great place to prove himself. Joe has a strong track record of minor-league production with a .271/.377/.420 career line over five seasons and hit .298/.414/.500 over the course of two Triple-A seasons. He has shown outstanding plate patience in the upper minors and was an excellent contact hitter the past two seasons in minor-league baseball, but never had a chance with San Francisco outside of the smallest cup of coffee in 2019. He was waived by the Giants and returned to the Dodgers, but was not able to crack their lineup in 2020. He might be worth a flier in NL-only leagues if he makes the club.

The Dodgers left Joe unprotected from the Rule 5 draft even after he slashed .299/.409/.527 with 17 homers in 107 games between Double-A and Triple-A in 2018. Cincinnati scooped him up but didn't like what it saw in spring training and ultimately sent Joe packing to San Francisco in late March. He got a chance to play regularly early on in 2019, but the Giants' acquisition of Kevin Pillar from Toronto likely pushes Joe into a short-side platoon/utility role. The tools aren't particularly exciting with Joe. There is little speed here and the pop from last year doesn't seems real, as he'd topped out at five homers in a season before 2018. The on-base skills should translate at least; he has posted double-digit walk rates at pretty much every stop in the minor leagues. For those in NL-only leagues with OBP instead of batting average, Joe is on the radar. There should be better options in mixed formats.