First Base Rankings for 2019

My first base rankings are listed below. At the bottom of the table, I’ll break down the rankings in terms of tiers and why players are in which tiers. These are standard 5×5 roto using batting average, but I will touch on some players who get a nice boost in OBP leagues because I think eventually, fantasy leagues will move in that direction. Also listed are player’s additional positions using 10 games played to be eligible. That includes Yahoo!’s ridiculous rule that a player needs only five starts or 10 games played to be eligible at a position. So, if you play in ESPN, CBS, or most other leagues, some of the multiple positions will not apply.



Rankings Updated 3/13/19.

First Base Rankings for 2019 (AVG/R/HR/RBI/SB)

Pos Rank Player Team Positions 1 Freddie Freeman ATL 1B 2 Paul Goldschmidt STL 1B 3 Anthony Rizzo CHC 1B 4 Joey Votto CIN 1B 5 Rhys Hoskins PHI 1B/OF 6 Cody Bellinger LAD 1B/OF 7 Jose Abreu CWS 1B 8 Matt Olson OAK 1B 9 Daniel Murphy COL 1B/2B 10 Robinson Cano NYM 1B/2B 11 Joey Gallo TEX 1B/OF 12 Jesus Aguilar MIL 1B 13 Matt Carpenter STL 1B/3B/2B 14 Max Muncy LAD 1B/2B/3B 15 Ryan Braun MIL 1B/OF 16 Edwin Encarnacion SEA 1B/DH 17 J.T. Realmuto MIA C/1B 18 Eric Hosmer SD 1B 19 Ian Desmond COL 1B/OF 20 Jurickson Profar OAK 1B/2B/3B 21 Yuli Gurriel HOU 1B/2B/3B 22 Josh Bell PIT 1B 23 Justin Smoak TOR 1B 24 Jose Martinez STL 1B/OF 25 Trey Mancini BAL 1B/OF 26 Luke Voit NYY 1B 27 Jake Bauers CLE 1B/OF 28 Brian Anderson MIA 1B/OF 29 Carlos Santana CLE 1B/3B 30 Miguel Cabrera DET 1B 31 Ryan O'Hearn KC 1B 32 C.J. Cron MIN 1B 33 Brandon Belt SF 1B 34 Kendrys Morales TOR 1B/DH 35 Buster Posey SF C/1B 36 Ryan Zimmerman WAS 1B 37 Marwin Gonzalez MIN 1B/2B/SS/OF 38 Yonder Alonso CWS 1B 39 Tyler White HOU 1B/DH 40 Peter Alonso NYM 1B 41 Miguel Sano MIN 1B/3B 42 Nate Lowe TB 1B 43 Ronald Guzman TEX 1B 44 Hunter Dozier KC 1B/3B 45 Jay Bruce SEA 1B/OF 46 Steve Pearce BOS 1B/OF 47 Justin Bour LAA 1B 48 Ryon Healy SEA 1B 49 Mitch Moreland BOS 1B 50 Eric Thames MIL 1B/OF 51 Albert Pujols LAA 1B/DH

Tier 1 – Studs

Freddie Freeman, Paul Goldschmidt

That’s it. Typically, first base produces at least a handful of studs, but not in 2019. If you haven’t been paying attention, the first base position has gotten shallow. Even Paul Goldschmidt is past his prime and I anticipate a small decrease in production in 2019, yet he remains in the top two overall. Both of these hitters can go .300-30-100-100-8 with a little upside. That’s the reason they are here. Although neither Freddy or Goldy are in my top 10 overall and should probably not be drafted in the first round.



Tier 2 – Fourish-Cat Guys

Anthony Rizzo, Joey Votto, Jose Abreu, Rhys Hoskins, Matt Olson

All of these guys have a weakness in addition to lack of speed. Rizzo is no longer a 30+ HR guarantee he once was but his elite contact rates tell me he will provide a .280+ batting average. Has Votto begun a steep decline or can he bounce back at age 36? I think his power gets back to 20 and his elevated line drive rate should keep him near .300. Abreu is solid and consistent but is similar to a cross between Rizzo and Votto. xStats shows that Abreu was unlucky in terms of BABIP, I am hopeful for a near 100% bounceback from Abreu in 2019. Hoskins and Olson won’t provide the batting average of the other three in this tier, but I like their abilities to hit over 30 homers with 100 RBI which is why they are in this tier.

Tier 3 – Really? This is Tier 3?

Goes from Daniel Murphy to Joey Gallo

Murphy gets a massive bump playing in Colorado. We all know about the boost in home runs but for Murphy, it’s more about the bump in BABIP. In 2018, Rockies hitters had a .334 BABIP at home. If Murphy is a .300 hitter outside of Coors, he has a shot to hit .325 with 20 homers in 2019. Cano is similar to Murphy just not in a location that greatly benefits him which is why I prefer Murphy over Cano. Again, both are eligible at 2B but 1B might actually be more shallow.

Tier 4 – Put me in Coach

This tier goes from Max Muncy to JT Realmuto

I like all of these players, I really do, but there are either playing time concerns or injury concerns here. You can discount Realmuto because no one is playing the top catcher at 1B. Of this group, I like Muncy the most. His plate discipline is fantastic and his barrel rates were top 5 in all of baseball. Check out my piece over at Pitcher List on how he was attacked in the 2nd half. Unfortunately, Muncy has the most question marks such as playing time, adjustments, etc. He will produce if he plays every day and he’s eligible at three positions, so that’s a bonus.

Tier 5 – Mixed Bag of Meh

This tier goes from Eric Hosmer to Justin Smoak



I’m not a huge fan of this tier outside of Jose Martinez, but that’s only if he gets traded to an AL team to be the full-time DH. If that happens, his profit potential jumps up quite a bit, that being said, he likely moves up a tier. Hosmer’s ADP has dropped over 100 spots from 2018, so he’s a decent bounce-back candidate. E5 is clearly on the decline and while he still has 30 homer power, he could also hit .230. I do like Profar because of his position eligibility and the move to Oakland is a lineup upgrade but a park downgrade. Don’t sleep on Smoak either, he’s basically E5 at a discount.

Tier 6 – Corner Infield Spot

This massive tier goes from Ryan O’Hearn to Ryan Zimmerman

If you are drafting one of these players as your starting 1B, then you’re doing it wrong unless you’re in a 30 team league. I’ll highlight Brandon Belt because he’s been killed by playing at AT&T Park. If he gets traded to a team with a neutral or favorable park, I will be moving him up 5-10 spots and be grabbing him everywhere. His hard contact metrics are fantastic. The other player with upside is Luke Voit, but the Yankees still feel like Greg Bird is good. Voit is a beast and could hit 30 homers in Yankee Stadium given a chance. Keep an eye on this situation during spring training.

Tier 7 – Intriguing Young Talent

Goes from Tyler White to Hunter Dozier



Peter Alonso and Nate Lowe and my two favorites from this group. Both should be called up at some point during 2019, hopefully by June. They are both just about ready and Alonso is a top prospect with maybe the most power upside of a Major League ready prospect right now. There will be some swing and miss and lower batting average but should hit 4th or 5th once he gets the call. Lowe has a much more well-balanced approach and can hit for average, take walks, and has above average power. Keep an eye on these guys during spring training.

Tier 8 – The Rest

Goes from Jay Bruce to Eric Thames



I suppose I could see a bounceback from Jay Bruce. If E5 gets moved, Bruce could see a full slate of at-bats between 1B, OF, and DH. He was hurt most of 2018 and if healthy can still reach the 30 homer mark. Keep an eye on Thames, if he gets moved to a situation where can DH and/or play most days, his power is massive. Hopefully, you aren’t having to grab one the guys in this tier, but at this point try for upside.

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Image Courtesy of Scott Cunningham