Next up: my fantasy baseball first base rankings.
This is an interesting group. In this old scout’s opinion, there is a huge drop after the first half. So be wise when targeting this position, it should be a power source.
Remember, fantasy baseball is a combination of skill, research, and luck. A fantasy team owner can’t control injuries. However, a good fantasy team owner will prepare for the injuries by adding depth to the lineup.
I have concentrated on players that will likely play the majority of their time at first base. There are lots of teams that will use multiple players at first base-just as there are plenty of players that will play multiple positions, including first base. Those players are not likely not listed here.
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First Base Rankings
- Age: 24; Bats: L
- 2019 stats: .305 AVG, 121 R, 47 HR, 115 RBI, 15 SB
- Age: 30; Bats: L
- 2019 stats: .295 AVG, 113 R, 38 HR, 121 RBI, 6 SB
- Age: 25; Bats: R
- 2019 stats: .260 AVG, 103 R, 53 HR, 120 RBI, 1 SB
- Age: 30; Bats: L
- 2019 stats: .293 AVG, 89 R, 27 HR, 94 RBI, 5 SB
- Age: 25; Bats: L
- 2019 stats: .267 AVG, 73 R, 36 HR, 91 RBI, 2 SB
- Age: 27; Bats: R
- 2019 stats: .291 AVG, 106 R, 35 HR, 97 RBI, 1 SB
- Age 29; Bats: L
- 2019 stats: .251 AVG, 101 R, 35 HR, 98 RBI, 4 SB
- Age 27; Bats: Both
- 2019 stats: .277 AVG, 94 R, 37 HR, 116 RBI, 0 SB
- Age 32; Bats: R
- 2019 stats: .260 AVG, 97 R, 34 HR, 97 RBI, 3 SB
10. Jose Abreu (CWS)
- Age: 33; Bats: R
- 2019 stats: .284 AVG, 85 R, 33 HR, 123 RBI, 2 SB
- Age 33; Bats: Both
- 2019 stats: .281 AVG, 110 R, 34 HR, 93 RBI, 4 SB
- Age: 37; Bats: R
- 2019 stats: .244 AVG, 81 R, 34 HR, 86 RBI, 0 SB
- Age: 26; Bats: R
- 2019 stats: .247 AVG, 76 R, 34 HR, 79 RBI, 0 SB
- Age: 26; Bats: R
- 2019 stats: .226 AVG, 86 R, 29 HR, 85 RBI, 2 SB
- Age: 36; Bats: R
- 2019 stats: .298 AVG, 85 R, 31 HR, 104 RBI, 5 SB
16. Luke Voit (NYY)
- Age: 29; Bats: R
- 2019 stats: .263 AVG, 72 R, 21 HR, 62 RBI, 0 SB
- Age: 28; Bats: R
- 2019 stats: .259 AVG, 86 R, 29 HR, 73 RBI, 8 SB
18. Evan White (SEA)
- Age: 23; Bats: R
- no major league experience
19. C.J. Cron (DET)
- Age: 30; Bats: R
- 2019 stats: .253 AVG, 51 R, 25 HR, 78 RBI, 0 SB
20. Eric Hosmer (SD)
- Age 30; Bats: L
- 2019 stats: .265 AVG, 72 R, 22 HR, 99 RBI, 0 SB
21. Joey Votto (CIN)
- Age: 36; Bats: L
- 2019 stats: .261 AVG, 79 R, 15 HR, 47 RBI, 5 SB
- Age: 33; Bats: L
- 2019 stats: .247 AVG, 67 R, 25 HR, 61 RBI, 3 SB
- Age 34; Bats: L
- 2019 stats: .279 AVG, 56 R, 13 HR, 78 RBI, 1 SB
- Age: 40; Bats: R
- 2019 stats: .244 AVG, 55 R, 23 HR, 93 RBI, 3 SB
- Age: 33; Bats: Both
- 2019 stats: .208 AVG, 54 R, 22 HR, 61 RBI, 0 SB
- Age 34; Bats: L
- 2019 stats: .252 AVG, 48 R, 19 HR, 58 RBI, 1 SB
- Age 24; Bats: R
- 2019 stats: .254 AVG, 46 R, 18 HR, 58 RBI 2 SB
- Age 31; Bats: L
- 2019 stats: .239 AVG, 76 R, 17 HR, 57 RBI, 4 SB
29. Ji-Man Choi (TB)
- Age 28; Bats: L
- 2019 stats: .261 AVG, 54 R, 19 HR, 63 RBI, 2 SB
- Age: 25; Bats: L
- 2019 stats: .219 AVG, 34 R, 10 HR, 36 RBI, 1 SB
Bunts
1. Greg Bird may be an interesting option at first base for the Rangers. He has power, but is injury prone and strikes out a ton.
2. Boston may use both Moreland and Chavis in a platoon. Both are viable options.
3. With the signing of Josh Donaldson, look for Miguel Sano to play plenty of first base.
4. Trey Mancini may play more in the outfield than at first base. Rio Ruiz may get some time at first for the Orioles. Note that Chris Davis is not listed in my rankings. He’ll play some at first, but he is not a fantasy option.
Rising
Josh Bell, Michael Chavis, C.J. Cron, Trey Mancini
Declining
Albert Pujols, Joey Votto, Chris Davis
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Bernie Pleskoff is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Bernie, follow him @BerniePleskoff and read more of his work here.