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

Updated First Base Rankings - 2018 Fantasy Baseball

RotoBaller's updated first base rankings, tiers and auction values for the 2018 fantasy baseball season. Our final preseason mixed league draft rankings for 1B.

Welcome back RotoBallers. With the MLB season just a few short weeks a way, it's time to update our rankings and analysis to account for injuries, free agent signings, spring training risers/fallers and more. We kick off our updated March rankings today with the first base position.

Harris breaks down each tier and provides analysis for which players might be overvalued or undervalued in fantasy baseball drafts. The position is very strong at the top and provides incredible depth, particularly in the power department. Many of the names remain the same, but some of the regulars have fallen and been replaced with younger talent. Let's take a look.

Don't forget to bookmark our famous Rankings Wizard where you can see all of our rankings for mixed leagues, points leagues, AL/NL only leagues, dynasty leagues, top 2018 prospects, dynasty prospects and more. You will also find our tiers, auction values, player news, stats, projections and more. You can easily download everything - oh, and it's all free! We hope you enjoy...

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

2018 Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings: First Base (March)

Ranking Tier Player Position Auction $
1 1 Paul Goldschmidt 1B 41
2 1 Joey Votto 1B 37
3 1 Freddie Freeman 1B/3B 36
4 2 Anthony Rizzo 1B/2B 31
5 2 Cody Bellinger 1B/OF 30
6 3 Jose Abreu 1B 27
7 3 Edwin Encarnacion 1B 25
8 3 Rhys Hoskins 1B/OF 23
9 3 Wil Myers 1B 19
10 4 Buster Posey C/1B 18
11 4 Miguel Cabrera 1B 16
12 4 Eric Hosmer 1B 16
13 4 Ryan Zimmerman 1B 15
14 4 Justin Smoak 1B 14
15 4 Matt Olson OF/1B 13
16 4 Matt Carpenter 1B/2B/3B 12
17 4 Carlos Santana 1B 12
18 4 Ian Desmond OF/1B 11
19 4 Greg Bird 1B 10
20 5 Justin Bour 1B 9
20 5 Josh Bell 1B 9
21 5 Joey Gallo 3B/1B/OF 9
22 5 Jay Bruce OF/1B 8
23 5 Chris Davis 1B 8
24 5 Marwin Gonzalez 1B/2B/3B/SS/OF 7
25 5 Hanley Ramirez 1B 5
26 5 Eric Thames 1B/OF 4
27 6 Ryan McMahon 1B/3B 4
28 6 Trey Mancini 1B/OF 3
29 6 Yulieski Gurriel 1B 3
31 6 Logan Morrison 1B 2
32 6 Kendrys Morales 1B 2
33 6 Albert Pujols 1B 2
34 6 Yonder Alonso 1B 2
35 6 Ryon Healy 3B/1B 2
36 6 Brandon Belt 1B/OF 1
37 7 C.J. Cron 1B 1
38 7 Jedd Gyorko 1B/3B 1
39 7 Victor Martinez 1B 1
40 7 Colin Moran 3B/1B 1
41 7 Jose Martinez OF/1B 1
42 7 Mark Reynolds 1B 1
43 7 Adrian Gonzalez 1B 1
44 7 Lucas Duda 1B 1
45 7 Mike Napoli 1B 1
46 8 Mitch Moreland 1B 1
47 8 Joe Mauer 1B 1
48 8 Matt Holliday 1B/OF 1
49 8 Kennys Vargas 1B 1
50 8 Matt Adams 1B 1
51 8 Tommy Joseph 1B 1
52 8 Wilmer Flores 1B/3B 1
53 8 Jake Bauers 1B/OF 1
54 8 Dominic Smith 1B 1

 
 
Tier 1
The cream of the crop. All three guys -- Paul Goldschmidt, Joey Votto, Freddie Freeman -- should post something in the realm of 30/100/100 with a .300/.400/.500 slash line. Goldschmidt could lose some power with the new humidor in Chase Field, but he holds onto the top spot as a result of his 20-steal ability.

Tier 2

Anthony Rizzo is one of the safest fantasy options, with at least 30 HR and a .380 OBP in each of the last four years. Cody Bellinger broke out in his 2017 rookie campaign, and while he may not improve upon his 39 home runs, he should be able to remain in that range while bolstering his rate stats as he cuts down on his strikeouts. All six of the rankers agree that both players should be drafted within the top 30.

Tier 3

Three durable guys with 30-homer power in Jose Abreu, Edwin Encarnacion and Wil Myers. Myers may not put up the runs and RBI totals of the other two, but he brings solid value in stolen bases. Rhys Hoskins doesn’t have quite the same track record, but he provided fantasy owners with a glimpse of something special late in 2017, smashing 18 bombs over just 212 plate appearances. There’s not a whole lot of disparity in the rankings of these players, and all four should finish the season firmly in the top-15 first basemen.

Tier 4

Ignore Buster Posey here. You’re not drafting him to be your first baseman. Just don’t do it. End of story. Similarly, if Ian Desmond doesn’t bring his fly ball rate back up around 30 percent (20.6 percent last season), he won’t serve as a viable first base option, and should be limited to an outfield slot.

In the rest of the tier, you’ll find a couple of OBP machines in Carlos Santana and Matt Carpenter, and two young sluggers with limitless power in Matt Olson and Greg Bird. Then you have two veterans in Ryan Zimmerman and Justin Smoak who revitalized their respective careers with monster 2017 campaigns. Both come with a regression warning, but they should still produce at a decently high level. Additionally, new San Diego Padre Eric Hosmer has proven he’s capable of contributing despite the frustratingly groundball-heavy batted ball profile, and is deserving of selection in the first seven or eight rounds.

Miguel Cabrera is one of the more polarizing players on our list. His batted ball profile is encouraging, but he is coming off a season in which he slashed just .249/.329/.399 with 16 HR-- mostly due to a nagging back injury. Clearly, four of our rankers believe there’s reason for optimism, but I’m skeptical he can remain healthy, and wouldn’t spend a top-100 pick on the future Hall of Famer.

Tier 5

Josh Bell and Justin Bour have 30-HR potential and decent on-base skills, but both players saw their respective teams get dismantled and could have a tough time racking up runs and RBI.

Joey Gallo is what he is -- a low-average hitter with a ton of power -- and there will be fantasy owners who can look past his flaws, and others who are unwilling to invest in a guy who will likely hurt them in AVG or OBP. Jay Bruce is similar in the sense that his rate stats will be suboptimal, but at least he has a history of driving in runs to go along with 35-HR pop.

Bill still believes in Hanley Ramirez, despite an obvious decline in skills and the fact that he is technically out of a starting role in Boston. In an era where power is anything but at a premium, Chris Davis and his .215/.309/.423 slash line just don’t cut it. He’d need to revert back to his 40 HR days in order to make a real impact. Eric Thames slashed .225/.334/.447 with 20 HR from April 28 through the end of the season. That’s probably roughly what his 2018 stat line will look like, and I’ll be staying away-- especially with the possibility of losing playing time to Ryan Braun.

Marwin Gonzalez falls under the Posey category-- he’s much better off in literally any other roster spot.

Tier 6

This is where we really start to drop off. Albert Pujols can still hit 25 HR and drive in a bunch of runs, but his OBP is unlikely to scrape .300. Ryan McMahon is appealing given his power potential and home field, but he is a completely unproven commodity-- only four of our six experts have ranked him as of our last update.

Trey Mancini, Logan Morrison, Yonder Alonso and Ryon Healy all have starting jobs and should all hit between 25-30 HR with respectable rate stats. These guys are basically interchangeable and likely won’t finish as top-12 first basemen, but any of them can help you late in drafts. Concussions have derailed Brandon Belt’s career a bit, but he still possesses strong on-base skills and tied his career high in homers despite playing just 104 games. Bill believes the Giants’ first baseman is in for a big year. Finally, Yulieski Gurriel would have been higher on the list had it not been for a hand injury, and is a risky draft day selection as a result.

Tier 7

Two guys stick out to me here-- C.J Cron and Lucas Duda found secure jobs in the later part of the offseason, and both could smash 30 homers with a full slate of at-bats. Both should be useful in deeper formats. Beyond that, there’s not much to take notice of in this tier. Jedd Gyorko, Colin Moran and Jose Martinez are better off used in other positions; injuries and the aging process have rendered Victor Martinez and Adrian Gonzalez undraftable in standard leagues; and Mike Napoli, who is coming off a .193 batting average and could only find a minor league deal this offseason, shouldn’t be on any radars, either. Mark Reynolds is still without a job, and wouldn’t hold any value unless he lands back in Colorado-- which seems very unlikely at this point.

Tier 8

Of this group, only Joe Mauer is expected to see consistent at-bats, and he provides next to nothing in the power or speed departments. Mitch Moreland is likely to split time with Hanley Ramirez, while Tommy Joseph, Kennys Vargas and Matt Adams will hold down backup roles. Dominic Smith is set to begin the year in Triple-A, Wilmer Flores will remain in a super utility role, and Matt Holliday is currently jobless.

 

More MLB Rankings and ADP Analysis




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

Pete Crow-Armstrong

Homers Twice, Drives in Three
Brice Matthews

Joining Astros
MLB

White Sox-Guardians Postponed on Thursday
Brandon Aiyuk

Likely to Begin Season on PUP List, but Not Ruled Out for Week 1
Jameson Williams

Not in the Team's Long-Term Plans?
Tallison Teixeira

Set For His First UFC Main Event
Micah Parsons

Plans to be Present for Start of Training Camp
Derrick Lewis

Set To Headline UFC Nashville
Ikem Ekwonu

Next Up for Extension in Carolina?
Jalen Thompson

Heading into Last Year With Cardinals?
Gabriel Bonfim

Looks For His Third UFC Win
Najee Harris

Suffers Eye Injury in Fireworks Mishap
Stephen Thompson

Returns At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Calvin Kattar

In Dire Need Of Victory
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere A Favorite At UFC Nashville
Nate Landwehr

Aims To Bounce Back
MMA

Austen Lane Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Vitor Petrino

Set For His Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Set To Open Up UFC Nashville Main Card
Junior Tafa

Set For Light-Heavyweight Bout
Alex Bregman

Will Return to Red Sox This Weekend
Chris Sale

Braves Won't Consider Trading Chris Sale
Clarke Schmidt

to Undergo Season-Ending Elbow Surgery on Friday
Nick Nash

Unlikely to Make Falcons Active Roster
Lane Johnson

in No Rush To Retire
Jalen Williams

Signs Contract Extension With Thunder
Blake Corum

has "Gotten His Speed Back"
Jarquez Hunter

Picking Up Rams Offense Quickly
Alijah Martin

Agrees to Two-Way Deal With Raptors
Tristan Vukcevic

Set to Return to Washington
Kirk Cousins

Feels Misled by Falcons
Bijan Robinson

Says Falcons Have "Outlandish Goals" for the Running Game
Luther Burden III

Bears Expect Luther Burden III to be Ready for Training Camp
Cole Kmet

an Unlikely Trade Piece
Tony Pollard

Titans Hope to Balance Rushing Attack With Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears
Byron Buxton

Sitting Thursday
Quentin Johnston

Not Assured of Starting Role
Cordarrelle Patterson

on the Roster Bubble in Pittsburgh?
Shedeur Sanders

Not Assured of Roster Spot in Cleveland?
Wan'Dale Robinson

Hoping For More Downfield Opportunities
Anfernee Simons

Celtics Are "Actively Trying to Trade" Anfernee Simons
NBA

Alex Ducas Heading to Australia
Dominick Barlow

Inks Two-Way Deal With 76ers
Jordan McLaughlin

Spurs Re-Sign Jordan McLaughlin to One-Year Deal
Dylan Harper

Out Thursday, Expected to Play Saturday
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Homers Twice on Wednesday
Mike Trout

Homers Twice in Win Over Rangers
Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Leads Yankees to Victory
Salvador Perez

Crushes Two Homers in Win
Cleveland Browns

Greg Newsome on the Trade Block?
VJ Edgecombe

Diagnosed with a Sprained Thumb
Zach Tom

An Extension Candidate in Green Bay
Devin Booker

Agrees to Extension with Phoenix
Trevor Williams

to Undergo Season-Ending Elbow Surgery
Byron Buxton

Exits After Hit-by-Pitch, X-Rays Negative
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Playing on Wednesday
Alex Bregman

has "Really Good Chance" to Return Before All-Star Break
Teoscar Hernández

Teoscar Hernandez Expected to Return on Friday
Walter Clayton Jr.

Leads Jazz to Summer League Win
Carter Bryant

Struggles in Summer League Loss
Kyle Filipowski

Drops a Double-Double in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Oklahoma City Thunder

Malevy Leons Logs Impressive Summer League Outing on Tuesday
Dalton Knecht

Collects 25 Points in Lakers Summer League Win
Los Angeles Lakers

Darius Bazley Drops 27 Points in Summer League on Tuesday
Gary Woodland

Looking to Find Rhythm at Scottish Open
Aaron Rai

Brings Consistent Play to Scottish Open
Maverick McNealy

a Solid Value Play at Scottish Open
Aldrich Potgieter

Making Scottish Open Debut
Tom Kim

Looks to Rebound at Scottish Open
Brian Harman

a Safe Option at Scottish Open
Luke Clanton

a Sneaky Value Play at Scottish Open
Sam Burns

Looking to Stay Hot at Scottish Open
Chet Holmgren

Agrees to Rookie Max Extension
Alex Bregman

Not Returning Wednesday
Jhoan Duran

Unavailable Due to Illness
Shane McClanahan

Tosses Clean Frame in First Rehab Appearance
Jacob Wilson

Day-to-Day After HBP
Nicolai Hojgaard

May Feel More at Home in Europe
Harry Hall

Showing Fine Form Heading to Scotland
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. to be Reassessed Wednesday
Ryan Fox

Playing Well Since Early Spring Struggles
Malaki Branham

Traded to Washington
Max Greyserman

has Solid History at the Genesis Scottish Open
Blake Wesley

Moves to Washington
Harris English

Aims High for Scotland Next
Corey Conners

Primed for the Genesis Scottish Open
Kelly Olynyk

on the Move Again
Daniel Brown

Attempts the Scottish Swing Again
Anthony Davis

Recovering From Eye Surgery
Jacob Bridgeman

Needs Putter to Work at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Headlines Field at Genesis Scottish Open
Rory McIlroy

a Smart Play for Scottish Open
Adam Scott

Looking to Build on History at The Renaissance Club
NASCAR

Sepp Straka Not Likely to Find Momentum at Scottish Open
Justin Rose

Hopes Month Hiatus Helps Him Bounce Back at Scottish Open
NHL

Tyler Johnson Retires After 13 NHL Seasons
Jack McBain

Inks New Five-Year Deal with Mammoth
Cam York

Re-Signs with Flyers for Five Years
Jake Knapp

Fits the Mold for Success at The Renaissance Club
Ty Gibbs

Finishes Second at Chicago and Advances in In-Season Challenge
Alex Bowman

Defeats Bubba Wallace in In-Season Challenge, but Not Without Controversy
Alex Bowman

Bubba Wallace Wrecked by Alex Bowman Again, Putting Playoffs in Doubt
Michael McDowell

Throttle Failure Ends Michael McDowell's Chances to Win at Chicago
Austin Hill

Earns First NASCAR Cup Series Top Ten at Chicago
Tyler Reddick

Scores a Strong Third-Place Run at Chicago
Kyle Busch

Matches his Best Career Finish At Chicago on Sunday
Denny Hamlin

Fights his Way to a Top-5 Finish at Chicago
William Byron

has his Worst Weekend of the Season at Chicago
Sonny Milano

on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Jakub Dobes

Signs Two-Year Deal with Canadiens
NHL

Hendrix Lapierre Signs One-Year Deal with Capitals
Carson Hocevar

Should DFS Players Consider Carson Hocevar for Chicago Lineups?
Tye Kartye

Kraken Re-Sign Tye Kartye for Two Years
Ross Chastain

May be A Decent DFS Option for Chicago Lineups
Dmitri Voronkov

Signs Two-Year, $8.35 Million Extension with Blue Jackets
Ryan Preece

Should DFS Players Roster Ryan Preece at Chicago?
Austin Dillon

Is Too Great of A Risk to Add to Chicago Lineups
Zane Smith

Is A Value Play Worth Rostering At Chicago
Austin Hill

is A Favorable Value Option for Chicago DFS Lineups
Ty Dillon

Is Ty Dillon A Decent Driver to Add For NASCAR DFS At Chicago?
William Byron

Qualifying Crash Makes William Byron a Likely DFS Must-Have
Alex Bowman

Should Finish Well, but Probably Costs Too Much for Serious DFS Consideration
Joey Logano

Has Been Relatively Mediocre on Road Courses Lately
Ryan Blaney

Doesn't Really Fit Neatly into Optimal DFS Lineups
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF