Warning: contents of this article may be flammable. It is recommended readers use caution when reading about Joey Votto’s last few months at the plate, since the likelihood of the newspaper itself catching on fire is extremely high.

Let’s jump back to May, before Bengals rookies starting dropping like flies in training camp. Two injured draft picks in three weeks? Fantastic.

Anyway, back to Votto. The Reds’ first baseman was just wrapping up a month that saw him pick up just 19 hits in 95 at-bats, which equates to a measly .200 average. Not good, though to be fair seven of those 19 hits were home runs. Votto hasn’t hit more than five home runs in any other month this season.

The on-base percentage was still there in May, with Votto getting on-base at a .333 percent clip, but strikeouts were killing his average. He struck out 34 times in May while walking just 16 and articles across the Internet popped up announcing the end of Votto’s tenure as a good hitter.

In May and June of 2015, Votto had a similar, though much less pronounced slump. He posted a .253 average last May before rebounding to hit .286 in June en route to a .314/.459/.541 slash line by the end of the season.

Early in 2016, however, it would appear he had dug himself too much of a hole to dig out of. The average sat right around .200, and given the Reds’ talent around him, he would have to go on quite the run to get anywhere near his career highs.

One thing that did work in his favor, however, was his BABIP. Votto’s career bating average on balls in play is a robust .358, which according to FanGraphs makes Votto one of the best hitters in the league. In the first month of the 2016 season, Votto’s batting average was a mere .229 but his BABIP was well below his career average, sitting at just .283. It got worse in May, dropping to .222.

Then the calendar flipped to June. Since June 1, Votto has totaled 80 hits in 211 at-bats. That’s an average of .379, which seems decent. The performance has raised his average from .215 on June 1 to .303, where it stands as of this writing. His on-base percentage is still right in line with his career average, sitting at .429 as of now. Nearly a third of his total hits this season have been for extra bases, giving him a slugging percentage that, while not as high as his MVP season in 2010, is similar to his career marks.

His stats get more incredible the more you break them down. Since the All-Star break, Votto is hitting a whopping .463 with an on-base percentage of .558. His BABIP over that same time is .500, which is why he’s been able to return to form. For the season, Votto’s current BABIP of .363 is right in line with his career mark, meaning while his second-half success is not sustainable at it’s current rate, he definitely isn’t the .200 hitter he was at the end of May.

Votto’s surge has helped the Reds pick up the slack on offense after the departure of Jay Bruce and the slump of Adam Duvall.

Duvall isn’t the same type of hitter as Votto, but his power was providing the Reds with their offense in May and June, when he combined to hit 20 of his 27 home runs this season.

Billy Hamilton, meanwhile, has rounded into form right along with Votto. Hamilton is hitting .349 in 12 games so far this month, while also stealing 16 bases along the way. His constant presence on the basepaths ahead of Votto is likely one of the reasons the Reds’ first baseman has seen pitches to hit, though given the amount of time pitchers spend keeping Hamilton close, it does take a while for the pitcher to actually deliver a ball to the plate.

At any rate, Votto’s current pace is historic. If he continues hitting at the same rate over the remainder of the season, Votto will end a campaign that saw him hitting below .200 at one point with a monstrous .350/.482/.581 line.

For any one player to go on a tear this prolonged is ridiculous, and for it to be happening in Cincinnati is not something fans should take lightly. While the overall on-field product isn’t where it should be, there’s no denying that one of the greatest hitters in the game calls Great American Ballpark home. If that’s not enough of a reason to tune in, then I don’t know what is.