Don’t dismiss the power of the first baseman in Major League Baseball.
There are about eight legitimate options at first base in Major League Baseball, with most of the players seeing similar value. If you don’t pounce on one of those eight, though, you could be in a world of hurt in fantasy baseball.
Find a player who you like and possibly reach for him. You don’t want to be on the outside looking in after those eight players.
Here’s our top-five for first basemen.
1. Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona
He’s our No. 4 overall option, so he likely will disappear quickly off the board. He’s going to deliver in all hitting categories for fantasy owners, so you could pick him first if you really like him. We’d hold off on him, though, because of the depth at the first base position. He’s the best option, but with other positions that may have more separation between the top person and the eighth-best player, I might hold out for after the first round. But if he falls to the late first round, you’d be crazy not to pick him up.
2. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit
He’s not the same player he was just a couple of years ago, but he still is one of the best in the game. Sure, he fell off a bit last year, but that still meant he hit over .300 again for the seventh straight year and had a .440 on-base percentage, which is the fourth time he’s been over .400 in the last six seasons. His home runs and RBIs were down, but that’s most likely due to him missing 43 games. He’s a consistent option, so that’s why we like him at the end of the first round, and possibly in the second round if he’s available. He’s behind Goldschmidt, though, because he won’t steal bases.
3. Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox
We’re not giving up on Abreu, even after a sophomore slump. He finished with worse statistics in every category, except for runs, compared to his Rookie of the Year season in 2014. But we’re not concerned with injuries, since he hasn’t faced injury issues yet in his two seasons, and with protection from Todd Frazier in the lineup, he should have a bounce-back season. Even in a down season, he still mustered more than 100 RBIs and 30 homers, so he’s a safe bet as a solid first basemen.
4. Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs
The battle between the North side and South side isn’t that one-sided when it comes to first basemen. I like Abreu better, but you can’t really go wrong with Rizzo. Like I mentioned earlier, there’s not much that separates the first basemen valued between two through eight. Rizzo saw a major spike in production last season with a career-high in RBIs, stolen bases, on-base percentage and runs. I love the stolen base number, but I’m not too fond of his batting average, which is at .260 for his career. That’s where I give Abreu the edge.
5. Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto
I like Encarnacion for many reasons, with one being his versatility. Just like Abreu, Encarnacion is listed as a designated hitter and first baseman, giving fantasy owners an opportunity to pick up two of these top players if they so choose. Imagine fielding a team with Goldschmidt and Encarnacion on your roster. That’s a team that likely won’t lose in home runs or RBIs in any week. I’m a bit concerned with Encarnacion’s age (he’ll be 33 this season), but his production since 2012 cannot be ignored. He’s elite at home runs, RBIs and on-base percentage, which is a solid combination for winning those categories on a weekly basis.
