Fantasy Baseball: Positional Rankings - First Baseman

By Jim Ingram
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Well, what did you think about the catching rankings? Those are pretty clear cut, but there can be a lot of debate at First Base. To me, it's the deepest of all positions.
The Top 20:
1. Albert Pujols - Cardinals
2. Mark Teixeira - Yankees
3. Ryan Howard - Phillies
4. Miguel Cabrera - Tigers
5. Prince Fielder - Brewers
6. Adrian Gonzalez - Padres
7. Joey Votto - Reds
8. Justin Morneau - Twins
9. Kevin Youkilis - Red Sox
10. Kendry Morales - Angels
11. Pablo Sandoval - Giants
12. Lance Berkman - Astros
13. Derek Lee - Cubs
14. Carlos Pena - Rays
15. Adam Dunn - Nationals
16. Bill Butler - Royals
17. Jorge Cantu - Marlins
18. Michael Cuddyer - Twins
19. James Loney - Dodgers
20. Paul Konerko - White Sox
The Elite:

The obvious is Albert Pujols. Realistically, he should be in his own category. If he can stay healthy, he'll most likely go down as the most productive hitter MLB history. Like I said above, this is the deepest position in fantasy, and there really are 5 elite first basemen. The rest are the remainder of the top 5 above.
The 2nd Tier:

It's amazing to think, but I have 6 guys that are a part of the 2nd tier. That takes up the 6-11 spots on my rankings. That alone is why this position is so deep. We're talking about the likes of Adrian Gonzalez, Joey Votto, Justin Morneau, Kevin Youkilis, Pablo Sandoval & Kendry Morales. All 6 of these guys are top 50 fantasy players going into the 2010 season.
On the Rise:

Justin Smoak - Rangers. Smoak will eventually replace Chris Davis at first base this season, or at least take over the DH spot. He's a certifiable big league hitter that has excellent plate discipline and power from both sides.

Billy Butler - Royals. Butler finally settled into the majors in the 2nd half of the season last year. His power still needs to develop, but it will with additional big league at bats. With that being said, he still hit .301, with 23 homers and 93 RBI in a bad lineup.

Joey Votto - Reds. As you can see from the rankings above, I feel that Joey Votto is poised to explode this season. I have not doubt he'll hit .300 with 30 HR, 100 RBI & 100 runs this season. Based on how good the top 5 are at this position, it's going to be tough for him to crack it, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Gabby Sanchez/Logan Morrison - Marlins. Is it time for the Marlins to insert a young first basemen into the lineup? I think so, but what do you do with Jorge Cantu? Well, Cantu should be moved back to first base and allow Sanchez and Morrison to battle it out during Spring Training. I think Sanchez, a more powerful hitter than Morrison, is the best bet to win the job.

On the Slide:

David Ortiz - Red Sox. Thanks to inter league play, Ortiz is still eligible at the position. He's really on the downside of his career, but I wouldn't be surprised if people took a look at his second half last year and he gets drafted higher than he should.

Carlos Delgado - No team. While Delgado shut me up with a pretty decent year last season, there's a reason why he hasn't signed yet. Look for him to make a second half appearance with someone, most likely the Marlins.

Lance Berkman - Astros. The Chad Garner look alike can still hit, is still in the top 12 at his position, but he has plateaued and started on the down slide. If he can stay healthy this season, he may get 30, 100 but I'm not sure. He is a good mid to late round pick at the position.

Aubrey Huff - Giants. Huff took a major hit to his production after a career year in 2008. Was 2008 a fluke? I actually think he'll have a better year this year as he'll be playing in relative anonymity.

Lyle Overbay - Blue Jays. In my opinion, Overbay has been one of the more over rated players of the decade. He's serviceable, but has never come close to fulfilling the promise he once had. I expect Overbay to be dealt by the Blue Jays at some point.

Well, keep an eye this week for the second base rankings.