🖥 TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE NEW
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

2017 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: First Base (1B)

It's 'bout that time, eh chaps? The Winter Meetings have come and gone. With it, some of the biggest offseason dominoes have already fallen. The 2017 fantasy baseball draft board is beginning to come into focus. Now it's time to delve into player rankings. We'll continue with our 2017 first base fantasy baseball rankings for December.

This first round of rankings features picks from Kyle Bishop, Nick Mariano, Bill Dubiel, and me. I know I've had my initial lists in place since mid-October, and my colleagues here weren't too far behind me.

This year, we'll begin by presenting our rankings then share a few thoughts round table style.

Editor's note: Be sure to also check out our 2017 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. It's already loaded up with tons of great rankings articles and draft analysis. Aside from our tiered staff rankings for every position, we also go deep on MLB prospect rankings, impact rookies for 2017, and dynasty/keeper rankings as well. Bookmark the page, and win your drafts.

 

2017 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: First Base

Ranking Tier Player Brad Kyle Nick Bill Composite
1 1 Paul Goldschmidt 1 1 1 1 1
2 1 Miguel Cabrera 3 2 3 2 2.5
3 1 Anthony Rizzo 2 3 2 3 2.5
4 2 Joey Votto 4 4 4 4 4
5 2 Freddie Freeman 5 5 5 6 5.25
6 2 Edwin Encarnacion 6 6 7 5 6
7 2 Wil Myers 7 11 6 9 8.25
8 2 Hanley Ramirez 11 7 10 8 9
9 2 Chris Davis 8 9 9 10 9
10 2 Matt Carpenter 12 8 12 7 9.75
11 2 Jose Abreu 9 10 8 12 9.75
12 3 Carlos Santana 10 13 11 11 11.25
13 3 Adrian Gonzalez 14 14 14 13 13.75
14 3 Albert Pujols 18 12 17 14 15.25
15 3 Eric Hosmer 16 16 15 15 15.5
16 3 Brandon Belt 13 19 13 18 15.75
17 3 Victor Martinez 17 17 16 17 16.75
18 4 Greg Bird 22 15 19 16 18
19 4 Matt Holliday 19 24 18 19 20
20 4 Kendrys Morales 15 23 20 24 20.5
21 4 Lucas Duda 26 20 27 20 23.25
22 4 Mike Napoli 23 21 23 26 23.25
23 4 Chris Carter 24 25 24 21 23.5
24 5 Tommy Joseph 21 22 22 28 23.25
25 5 Brad Miller 20 27 21 30 24.5
26 5 C.J. Cron 28 26 29 23 26.5
27 5 Justin Bour 33 18 30 22 25.75
28 5 Josh Bell 27 28 28 27 27.5
29 5 Brandon Moss 25 29 25 32 27.75
30 5 Travis Shaw 38 39 38 28.75
31 5 Steve Pearce 29 31 31 25 29
32 5 Logan Morrison 40 40 39 29.75
33 6 Mitch Moreland 32 33 26 31 30.5
34 6 Jefry Marte 42 30 33 29 33.5
35 6 Adam Lind 31 35 35 33 33.5
36 6 Ryan Zimmerman 30 36 32 36 33.5
37 6 Joe Mauer 41 32 34 34 35.25
38 6 Matt Adams 34 38 36 35 35.75
39 6 Wilmer Flores 37 37 37 37 37
40 6 Byung-ho Park 35 34 40 40 37.25

 

Are there any picks you want to defend?

Brad: It would seem I'm the only one in the group who believes Morales will do big things while batting cleanup for an actually productive offense in a division littered with actual hitter friendly parks. Sure, the Jays lineup won't be the same without Encarnacion and Bautista, but it's still an above average offense. More importantly, it's a much better situation for Morales who should have no problem repeating 30 home runs and could reach 100 RBI. He's boring, old, low risk, and low cost.

Kyle: I'm surprised to be the optimist on Pujols. He's certainly not what he used to be, but the veteran still has life in his bat. Over the past three seasons, he's fourth in homers, seventh in runs scored, and second in RBI among first basemen. He's even top 10 in stolen bases. He doesn't hit for average anymore, but with those counting stats, he doesn't really need to.

I'm also the Debbie Downer on Myers. Questions about his health, his lousy second half, and skepticism about him running that much again are enough for me to push him outside the top 10.

Nick: The highest one that jumps out to me is Brandon Belt, who was a solid OBP asset but nothing special in 5x5 leagues in 2016. At first glance, it looks like he's reached a clear plateau. But his selectivity at the plate didn't lead to a huge drop in hard-hit rate (still 36.4% from 39.8%), yet an 8.1% rise in fly-ball rate was mitigated by an uncharacteristically low 9.3% HR/FB rate. Even if it was just 2014's 13.6%, you'd feel better here. I'm feeling alright about his chances here.

Bill: I love Matt Carpenter at any position, so perhaps that's affecting my judgment here...nah, sticking by it. Carpenter missed some time last year, but still put up a very solid season (.271-21-68). It certainly appears that his power-for-average swap is going to stick, so we'll probably never see that .318 batting average from 2013 again. However, if he can get back to playing 150+ games, we could definitely see him threaten 30 homers and get the batting average back above .280. That's a rare power/average combo at the first base position (outside of the top four or five).

 

Which picks by others look overly bullish/pessimistic?

Brad: I'll point out Bill's ranking of Joseph only because it matches what I expected of the consensus. I thought I'd be high man on the totem pole, but Kyle and Nick agreed he's a solid late-round option in 12 team leagues with a corner infield slot. Bill sees him as the guy you grab off waivers when somebody blows a knee.

Kyle: Belt is the epitome of "better IRL than in fantasy," and I honestly have no idea why Brad and Nick have him ranked as highly as they do. He's never hit .290, never hit 20 home runs, his modest run production totals last year (77 runs, 82 RBI) were both career bests, and he was 0-for-4 in stolen base attempts. Oh, and he's entering his age-29 season and has played more than 150 games only once in six seasons. Does his home park hurt his numbers? Sure, but last I checked, the Giants don't plan to trade him. His awesome OBP means nothing in a standard league.

Nick: Kyle having Holliday down at #24 while the rest of us sit in the #18-19 range seems out of place, as his move to the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium where he can stay fresh at DH should keep that bat alive. He's had some durability concerns flare up over the last two years, but New York has finally learned how to treat their veteran bats.

Also Bill's #30 ranking for Brad Miller feels way too low. I know he doubled his HR/FB rate from 10.3% to 20.4%, but I believe some of that growth is genuine. He could finally find a groove in an everyday role in Tampa, and 20 homers with a few steals while regular batting cleanup should be worth more than #30.

Bill: Brad looks a bit too low on Greg Bird for my liking. He has a clear path to the first base job in New York, although he and Matt Holliday will likely swap on and off a bit at 1B/DH for what it's worth. In 2015, Bird hit 11 homers and knocked in 31 RBI in just 46 games, so the power is legit. He has a career .222 ISO across all levels, and now that he's back to full health he has a monster ceiling. 40 homers this year is probably out of the question, but I'm optimistically (and perhaps naively) projecting him for 30 bombs, 80+ RBI and around a .260 batting average--your prototypical first baseman. I'd take him on draft day over guys like Brad Miller and Tommy Joseph for sure.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Thatcher Demko

Lands on Injured Reserve
Colin Miller

Injured Versus Devils
Bryan Rust

Remains Out Sunday
Morgan Geekie

Won't Play Sunday
Los Angeles Rams

Mike LaFleur to Interview With Raiders and Cardinals
Aaron Rodgers

Steelers Open to Re-Signing Aaron Rodgers?
Matthew Stafford

X-Rays Come Back Negative
Mark Stone

Extends Goal Streak With Empty-Netter
Nikita Kucherov

Has Four-Point Outing Saturday
David Pastrnak

Records Six Assists in Big Win
Stefan Noesen

to Have Knee Surgery
Carter Hart

Out Week-to-Week
Thatcher Demko

Exits With Injury Saturday
MacKenzie Gore

Yankees Pursuing Trade for MacKenzie Gore
Philip Broberg

Suffers Upper-Body Injury Saturday
Alex Bregman

Cubs Sign Alex Bregman to Five-Year, $175 Millon Contract
Chet Holmgren

Available Sunday
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Suspended for Three Games for Attempting to Strike Another Player
Kristaps Porzingis

May Return Sunday
Zaccharie Risacher

to Miss Second Consecutive Game Sunday
Kevin Porter Jr.

Considered Probable for Sunday
Aaron Gordon

Likely to Play Sunday
Christian Braun

Considered Probable for Sunday
Spencer Jones

May Miss Another Game Sunday
Jamal Murray

Iffy for Sunday's Action
Josh Hart

Tagged as Questionable for Sunday
Ja Morant

Out Sunday
Michael Porter Jr.

Resting on Sunday
RJ Barrett

Unavailable Sunday
Brandon Ingram

Could Remain Out Sunday
Scottie Barnes

Uncertain for Sunday
Joel Embiid

Questionable to Play Sunday
Tidjane Salaün

Tidjane Salaun Available Versus Jazz
Grant Williams

Ready for Season Debut
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Off the Injury Report for Sunday
Kevin Huerter

Active on Saturday Night
Jalen Smith

Back for Bulls Saturday
Freddie Freeman

Withdraws from World Baseball Classic
Chandler Stephenson

Jaden Schwartz Replaces Chandler Stephenson in Kraken Lineup
Brandon Saad

Won't Play This Weekend
Shea Theodore

Returns to Golden Knights Lineup Saturday
Jaccob Slavin

Returns Against Kraken
Travis Konecny

Ruled Out Saturday
Brad Marchand

Misses Saturday's Game
Corey Perry

Available Saturday
William Nylander

Returns From Six-Game Absence
Mark Scheifele

Scores Twice as Jets End Skid
John Carlson

Records Two Assists Friday
Max Kepler

Receives 80-Game PED Suspension
CFB

Cam Coleman Visiting Alabama on Friday
Omarion Hampton

Expects to Play Sunday Night
CFB

Eric Singleton Jr. Enters Transfer Portal, Trending to Land at Florida
CFB

NCAA Denies Trinidad Chambliss a Sixth Year of Eligibility
Omarion Hampton

Questionable for Wild-Card Weekend
Kyle Tucker

Mets Remain in Mix for Kyle Tucker
Ketel Marte

Will Remain With Diamondbacks
Rashee Rice

to be Reviewed Under League's Conduct Policy
Daniel Jones

Colts Plan to Re-Sign Daniel Jones
Davante Adams

Off the Injury Report, Will Play Against Carolina
Bo Bichette

Phillies to Meet With Bo Bichette
Rome Odunze

Will Return for Wild-Card Game on Saturday
CFB

DJ Lagway Commits to Baylor
Miami Dolphins

Dolphins Fire Head Coach Mike McDaniel
Sam LaPorta

Plans to be Back for Training Camp
Owen Caissie

Shipped to Miami as Centerpiece of Trade
Edward Cabrera

Cubs Officially Acquire Edward Cabrera From Marlins
Rome Odunze

Plans to Play on Saturday
Edward Cabrera

Cubs Finalizing Deal to Acquire Edward Cabrera From Marlins
New York Giants

Giants "All-In" on Hiring John Harbaugh
CFB

Jackson Arnold Signs with UNLV
CFB

Sam Leavitt Scheduled to Visit Tennessee
New York Giants

John Harbaugh Expected to be Favorite to Become New Giants Head Coach
Baltimore Ravens

John Harbaugh Won't Return as Ravens Head Coach
Bo Bichette

Unlikely to Return to Toronto?
Jordan Love

Ready to Start in Wild-Card Game Against Bears
CFB

Jadan Baugh Staying with Florida for Junior Season
Washington Commanders

Commanders "Mutually" Parting Ways With OC Kliff Kingsbury
CFB

Byrum Brown Officially Commits to Auburn
CFB

Austin Simmons Signing with Missouri

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP