When you look through the first base rankings you see all kinds of hitters; older hitters who can still hit the long ball, young hitters still on their way up, and a few “failed” prospects who still have time to figure it out.
With offense on the wane, it’s almost a requirement that you get at least one 30-HR bat from the first base position. Settle for an Eric Hosmer type and you better have a plan to make up the numbers elsewhere.
My plan heading into this season is to try and grab one of the Top 10 options and then pair it with a younger bat with 30-HR power. Think Chris Carter or Mark Trumbo. Build your power here and then you’re free to balance out the stat sheet with the rest of your lineup.
There will undoubtedly be some movement in these ranks, but first base is probably the most stable position, without too many jobs in question. Enough talk. On to my First Base Rankings for the 2015 Fantasy Baseball season.
Other Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Mixed League Catcher Rankings
2015 First Base Rankings
| Rnk | Player | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miguel Cabrera | I’ve still got him in the top spot, but his health is a concern. No argument if you look elsewhere. |
| 2 | Paul Goldschmidt | His double-digit SB could easily slide him into No. 1 slot. |
| 3 | Jose Abreu | What’s not to like. Hit with power in 1st half and added AVH in 2nd. |
| 4 | Edwin Encarnacion | Two HRs in March-April, missed 30+ games and still hit 34 bombs. |
| 5 | Chris Davis | .196 AVG was painful, but BABIP Differential says he’ll bounce back. |
| 6 | Adrian Gonzalez | Doesn’t get a lot of hype, but consistency is a nice thing to have. |
| 7 | Anthony Rizzo | He’s for real, but expect a bit of AVG regression. |
| 8 | Albert Pujols | He’s “done” but still hit 28 HRs with 105 RBIs. If that’s done, I’ll take mine well-done. |
| 9 | Victor Martinez | He can’t repeat the power… can he? |
| 10 | Todd Frazier | AVG concerns me a bit, but as long as he adds 15 SB or so he’s a nice option at either corner. |
| 11 | Freddie Freeman | He’s a nice hitter, but a bit overrated. Another sub-20 HR year and he’ll be drafted in the right place. |
| 12 | Buster Posey | Suggestion. If you draft Posey you may want to play him in your catcher slot. You heard it here. |
| 13 | Justin Morneau | I believe… in Coors Field. |
| 14 | Prince Fielder | Just have to watch his health this spring. Was always a bit overrated, but may be a value this year. |
| 15 | Chris Carter | Hit .252 in 2nd half. If he can do that for a season he moves way up the list. |
| 16 | Joey Votto | It’s all about that health… and the matter of his disappearing power. I’ll bite if he falls far enough. |
| 17 | Matt Adams | Can’t hit lefties (except for Clayton Kershaw), but there has to be more power in that body (I mean just look at it). |
| 18 | Mark Trumbo | Hopefully your league has forgotten just how much power Trumbo has. |
| 19 | Carlos Santana | Still a nice power bat at 1B or 3B, but it sure was nice when you could plug him in at catcher. |
| 20 | Lucas Duda | Nothing in his peripherals says to worry, but AVG worries me. |
| 21 | Eric Hosmer | I want him to be so much more… but he may not be. |
| 22 | Adam LaRoche | The lineup and ballpark should give LaRoche a shot at career-bests across the board. |
| 23 | Steven Pearce | Sneaky good and will get first shot at full-time duty. |
| 24 | Brandon Belt | AVG should bounce back, but needs to gain full trust of Bochy. Also worried Posey steals a lot of at-bats. |
| 25 | Brandon Moss | Players like Moss seem to come from out of nowhere and can disappear just as easily. New team helps, but color me pessimistic. |
| 26 | Mark Teixeira | Can no longer hit for average or stay on the field. Grab him as a reserve and use him when he’s healthy. |
| 27 | Billy Butler | Can 28 be old? Pretty empty stat line and the new digs won’t help. |
| 28 | Adam Lind | Will likely play first against righties and that’s a good thing. Full-time play would actually lower his value. |
| 29 | Kennys Vargas | Unquestionable power, but 26.9 K% usually means an AVG of .250 or below, solid pick as long as he doesn’t get too much sleeper hype. |
| 30 | Michael Morse | Think there’s more power than he showed in 2014, but he’s got to stay on the field. |
Doug Anderson took on the moniker RotoDaddy with the birth of his son in 2003. He's a veteran of the industry and has been playing Fantasy Baseball for over 20 years. His work has been seen on RotoExperts.com, SI.com, Yahoo, USAToday.com and also in the pages of various Fantasy magazines. He's currently also in charge of aggregation efforts at The Fantasy Sports Network and represents them in the LABR Mixed Experts League.
Latest posts by Doug "RotoDaddy" Anderson (see all)
- Test for Migration - September 6, 2017
- Fantasy Points Allowed by Position for NFL Week 6 - October 12, 2016
- FanDuel Fantasy Points Allowed by Position for NFL Week 2 - September 14, 2016
