Fantasy First Base 1-9
Oct 3, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez (23) is congratulated by right fielder Yasiel Puig after hitting a two run home run in the eighth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals in game one of the 2014 NLDS playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
The number before each first baseman’s name represents their overall rank in the 2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings.
1. #4 Paul Goldschmidt Arizona Diamondbacks
Despite being on a truly dreadful team with a baffling front office, Paul Goldschmidt is currently one of the best baseball players in the world. There is literally no reason not to draft him this season according to this. He is the top first basemen and will probably go around at pick four. He may even slide to fifth or sixth if someone goes for Clayton Kershaw or another top hitter. Draft him with no concerns.
2. #5 Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers
Even though Goldschmidt is coming off an injury, there are real concerns about Miguel Cabrera’s health in 2015. While I completely understand the fear and would have no problem with you going with a Jose Abreu or Edwin Encarnacion instead, I just wanted to remind everyone that Miggy still posted triple digit figures in runs and RBI’s. While his absurd 2010 to 2013 peak as the best hitter in MLB could potentially be over, the future HOF is a top 10 pick at worst.
3. #7 Edwin Encarnacion Toronto Blue Jays
I never believed my friend who always harped about Edwin Encarnacion’s power back when he was hitting 15 dingers a year in Cincinnati. Now, Encarnacion is the premier power bat in the AL. His three-year average of 37.3 homers is fantastic in today’s low scoring run environment. While a quad injury got the best of him for a month in 2014, anything else you need to know can be found here.
4. #9 Jose Abreu Chicago White Sox
Abreu is the last of the four superstar first baggers because he carries a bigger risk. However, the risk is that he only has a single season track record. When you watch Jose Abreu, it is quite obvious that he is one of the most complete hitters in the world. He can do it all as you can read here, and I would have no issue with you drafting him just about anywhere inside the top 10 picks.
5. #12 Anthony Rizzo Chicago Cubs
While Anthony Rizzo is not quite on the same level as the cream of the crop at his position, he is not very far behind at all as you can see in this article. He is only 25 years old, demonstrated that he could hit both lefties and righties in 2014, and he will have a better offense around him in 2015 to score more runs and RBI’s. He has crept up my rankings all the way to the end of the first round in 12 (or more) team leagues.
6. #22 Freddie Freeman Atlanta Braves
While I do not think Freddie Freeman will finish as a top 22 player in 2015, I love his floor as a top 40 player and his 2015 outlook as you can read in this article. I fully believe in his 31% line drive rate paying dividends in 2015 and his 11.9% HR/FB rate was the worst of his career. The underlying numbers show that Freeman is a strong bet to be closer to 25 or even more homers rather than 2014’s 18 HR’s.
In fantasy terms, Freddie Freeman is essentially a slight worse version of Adam Jones. You are paying for both players’ ceilings with their ADP, but they will be two of the safest players you can grab. There are plenty of times when your high draft pick only needs to be a double, not a home run.
7. #37 Albert Pujols Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
I was thrilled to see Albert Pujols rebound a bit in 2014, but I still miss the Prince Albert we saw with the Cards. From the amazing SportsCenter “Machine” commercial seen right below to his godly statistics, Pujols was a treat to watch. Even if that decade of magic is gone, Pujols is still a legitimate source of counting stats in the third or even fourth round of a non-keeper.
8. #40 Buster Posey San Francisco Giants
I wrote about Buster Posey in the article called Fantasy Catchers 1-10.
9. #50 Adrian Gonzalez Los Angeles Dodgers
I think I may have Adrian Gonzalez ranked too low because it seems like I underestimated his fantastic consistency. In his nine full seasons as a MLB player, Gonzalez has averaged approximately 88 runs, 28 homers, 105 RBI’s, 1 steal, and a .294/.367/.503 slash line. If Adrian Gonzalez can reproduce his career average, then he should be going at least 25 to 30 picks higher. The veteran could be an excellent fourth round bargain even if I ranked him too low.