We all know that first base is the deepest position in baseball. There are five potential first round picks and names like Adam Dunn and Derek Lee didn’t crack the Top 15. No other position can boast that type of talent. Let’s take a look at how things currently stack up:

Albert Pujols – St. Louis Cardinals Mark Teixeira – New York Yankees Miguel Cabrera – Detroit Tigers Ryan Howard – Philadelphia Phillies Prince Fielder – Milwaukee Brewers Justin Morneau – Minnesota Twins Kevin Youkilis – Boston Red Sox Adrian Gonzalez – San Diego Padres Mark Reynolds – Arizona Diamondbacks Kendry Morales – Los Angeles Angels Joey Votto – Cincinnati Reds Lance Berkman – Houston Astros Pablo Sandoval – San Francisco Giants Billy Butler – Kansas City Royals Victor Martinez – Boston Red Sox

Thoughts:

The top six players on this list remain unchanged and there doesn’t seem much room to juggle anyone there. Maybe Fielder over Howard? That’s really the only place to consider, but given the big swings in power Fielder has shown I’d like to see him post back-to-back big power years before making the move. Howard is just too consistent at this point.

Kevin Youkilis and Adrian Gonzalez are surprisingly similar in my projections. I don’t expect Gonzalez to be able to replicate his 40 HR outburst, especially considering his home/road split (12/28), as well as the fact that 20 of his home runs came over the first two months of the year. Youkilis is more consistent, while he should also bring a better average and more runs scored.

I’ve said it before when it comes to Votto, I think he’s being significantly overvalued (click here for my article on him). He currently has an ADP of 27, the sixth first baseman coming off the board (only after my Top 5). That’s just way too high, meaning I will likely not own him in any format in 2010.

Who would you rather have, Sandoval or Berkman? It’s really, really close. I do believe in Berkman’s ability to rebound in the average department (he’s been over .310 every other season since 2004). He also should have a little bit more power, offsetting any edge Sandoval has in the average department. In a dynasty league, I’d certainly switch the two, but not in a yearly league. I’ll take a closer look at these two in the near future.

The truth is that I would likely take Martinez above some of the guys above him (outside of the Top 5, it’s wide open), but that’s because of his eligibility as a catcher. His ranking here is based solely as a first baseman, which certainly changes things.

What are your thoughts on the rankings? Whose too high? Too low? What was the biggest omission?

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Make sure to check out our other early rankings:

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