Top 10 First Base Prospect Rankings for Fantasy Baseball (2026)

Eric's top 10 first base prospects for fantasy baseball and how they project long-term along with some names to buy or sell at this position in dynasty leagues. His top prospects include Bryce Eldridge, Jonathon Long, and more.

When it comes to prospect rankings, the first base position doesn't always look as star-studded as dynasty rankings do. But often times players at first base in the Majors shift over there long after debuting. Third basemen bump over to first, catchers move out from behind the plate, etc.

With that said, we still have a talented crop of first base prospects heading into 2026, with plenty of players likely making their debut at some point during the 2026 season. A handful have already debuted.

For my entire Top 40 and additional writeups, check out my Patreon. Make sure to continue checking RotoBaller as I'm going to be going through all positions in the coming weeks!

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First Base Prospect Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

Age and highest level in parentheses

Note: This is where Samuel Basallo would rank if included here. He was ranked and discussed in my Top 10 Catcher Prospect Rankings article.

Note: This is where Josue Briceño would rank if included here. He was ranked and discussed in my Top 10 Catcher Prospect Rankings article.

1. Bryce Eldridge, SFG (21/MLB)

It's been a long, long time since the San Francisco Giants have had a homegrown impact power bat. That drought could be coming to an end in 2026 with Bryce Eldridge though. In 102 games between Double-A and Triple-A, Eldridge swatted 21 doubles and 25 home runs with a .260/.333/.510 slash line. The Giants gave him a cup of coffee down the stretch, but Eldridge went 3/28 with zero home runs.

Bryce Eldridge uses his 70-grade power to go oppo for his 25th homer of the season 💪

MLB's No. 13 prospect (@SFGiants) has at least one knock in nine of his past 11 games for the Triple-A @RiverCats. pic.twitter.com/KXo4nkfmWv

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 14, 2025

Eldridge possesses truly elite power potential, and he's showed that consistently as a professional. In Triple-A last season, Eldridge posted a 95.7 mph AVG EV, 63.5% hard-hit rate, and an 16.8% barrel rate. The Giants just went from Barry Bonds to Willy Adames when it comes to 30-homer bats, but Eldridge looks like a 30-homer bat for years to come, even in San Francisco.

With that said, I do have my concerns with Eldridge outside of the power department. Eldridge had a 79.9% zone and 66.3% overall contact rate in Triple-A along with a 29.3% strikeout rate. He's not too aggressive, but there are some swing and miss concerns here. I'm just not sure if Eldridge is more than a .240 to .250 hitter long-term.

2. Jonathon Long, CHC (23/AAA)

If you've followed my work, you should know that I'm quite high on Jonathon Long's bat and believe he's one of the most underrated prospect hitters in the game right now. After a good 2024 season, Long had an equally as impressive 2025 season in Triple-A, slashing .305/.404/.479 in 607 plate appearances with 23 doubles and 20 home runs.

While Long doesn't stand out in any one area, he's really solid across the board. Long recorded a 85.7% zone and 77.8% overall contact rate in 2025 while walking at a 13% clip and only striking out 19.1% of the time. His power was also above-average, finishing with a 47.1% hard-hit rate, 10.1% barrel rate, and 90.9 mph AVG EV.

With that said, Long's 36.6% pull rate and 54.1% air rate have limited his home run output a bit. If he can elevate to his pull side a bit more, Long could be a 25-homer bat to pair with a good average and OBP.

3. Charlie Condon, COL (22/AA)

After a rough 2024 after the draft and a slower start to the 2025 season, Charlie Condon finally found his footing. In 35 High-A games, Condon slashed .312/.431/.420 with a 15.6% walk rate and 21% strikeout rate, but only managed three home runs.

It wasn't even due to a higher groundball rate or anything as Condon had a 60.4% air rate and 46.6% pull rate in High-A. But for me, I wasn't worried about the lower home run output. It was just nice to see Condon excelling at the plate.

New Identity, same results. Charlie Condon hits his 10th HR of the season! pic.twitter.com/gQNfNebrmT

— Hartford Yard Goats (@GoYardGoats) September 4, 2025

The homers started falling for Condon in Double-A, smacking 11 in 55 games, but he also hit just .235 with a 28.3% strikeout rate and 70% contact rate. Long-term, Condon projects more as a .260 type of hitter due to his average contact rates, but his higher walk rate and plus or better power should allow him to be a bigger asset in OBP formats while pushing or exceeding 30 homers annually. Being able to call Coors Field home certainly helps as well.

4. CJ Kayfus, CLE (24/MLB)

It was quietly an impressive season for CJ Kayfus in 2025. In 86 games between Double-A and Triple-A, Kayfus slashed .300/.390/.539 with 18 doubles and 14 home runs before adding four more home runs in 138 plate appearances with the Cleveland Guardians. But since he only had 123 at-bats, Kayfus will retain prospect eligibility heading into 2026 and is a locked in Top-10 first base prospect in my rankings.

Not one single area of Kayfus' profile stands out, but he does have a decent blend of contact, approach, and power. The contact rate was around 71% this season, which is fine, but Kayfus walked at an 11.9% clip and has always been a guy who gets on base at a higher rate. Even if he's more of a .260 hitter, Kayfus could easily be a .340 OBP guy while adding 20 homers annually at peak.

Kayfus' power doesn't wow you, but he had a 47.7% hard-hit rate and 11% barrel rate in Triple-A and a 36.8% hard-hit rate and 9.2% barrel rate in the Majors with an elite 41.4% Sweet Spot rate and 19.5% Pull-Air rate.

5. Luke Adams, MIL (21/AA)

A large part of valuing Luke Adams comes down to whether your league uses AVG or OBP. In each of the last three seasons, Adams has hit below .240. But at the same time, he's posted an OBP north of .400 in each of the last three seasons. In 2025, Adams slashed .231/.417/.436 with 15 doubles, 11 home runs, and 10 steals in 315 plate appearances between High-A and Double-A.

You might think Adams is a below-average contact hitter when you see those batting averages. That's just not the case as Adams' contact rates have been in the 76-78% range in each of the last three seasons with a SwStr rate of 8.2% or less. Adams also has above-average raw power and posted a solid 62.8% air rate and a high 52.9% pull rate in 2025. I'd bank on the average ticking up moving forward to go with around 20 home runs and an elite OBP annually.

6. Ralphy Velazquez, CLE (20/AA)

Overall, it was a pretty solid season from Ralphy Velazquez. In 544 plate appearances between High-A and Double-A, Velazquez slashed .265/.342/.497 with 28 doubles, nine triples, and 22 home runs. He was especially hot down the stretch in Triple-A, smacking five home runs and eight doubles in 28 games with a .330/.405/.589 slash line. He also struck out in just 15.1% of his 126 Double-A plate appearances.

20-year-old Ralphy Velazquez rips his 5th homer since being promoted to Double-A on Aug. 12 🦆

The @CleGuardians' 2023 first-rounder is hitting .373 with a 1.208 OPS for the @AkronRubberDuck: pic.twitter.com/CTH5rD8n5X

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 30, 2025

Honestly, this ranking of Velazquez might look too low in a year. There's easy plus raw power with Velazquez and he's shown the ability to elevate and pull consistently, finishing with a 63.9% air rate and 43.6% pull rate. He's also shown above-average contact skills (77%) with a decent approach that helped him finish with a 9.6% walk rate and a 19.1% strikeout rate.

As a 1B/DH only player, Velazquez's bat will need to carry him, but I believe that can be the case.

7. Cam Collier, CIN (20/AA)

For first base prospects, Cam Collier might be the hardest one for me to rank. After hitting 20 home runs in High-A in 2024, Collier managed only four home runs in 95 games last season while slashing .279/.391/.384, most of which game in Double-A where he played 74 of his 95 games.

There were definitely still some positives to take from Collier's season though. After all, he did hit .279 with a .391 OBP and 14.9% walk rate. Although, the strikeout rate was at or above 25% for the second straight season. Collier's contact rate was a respectable 73% as well, although slightly down from 2024's 75%.

But where did the power go? Collier has still flashed some decent raw power, but a lower 55.8% air rate really limited Collier's game power last season. I'm certainly not out on Collier and do believe he's an ideal buy-low target in dynasty leagues this offseason.

8. Ryan Clifford, NUM (22/AAA)

After being drafted out of high school by the Astros in 2022, Ryan Clifford has slowly been climbing the minor league ladder and is now on the cusp of his Major League debut entering 2026. In 139 games between Double-A and Triple-A last season, Clifford racked up 29 home runs and seven steals with a .237/.356/.470 slash line.

Valuing Clifford comes down to the format you play in. Clifford hit under .240 in both 2024 and 2025 but he had an OBP above .350 in both seasons thanks to a 17.6% walk rate in 2024 and 14.7% in 2025.

Walks and power are Clifford's calling cards, and he showed that power all season, including having a 93.6 mph AVG EV, 53.1% hard-hit rate, and 12.3% barrel rate in Triple-A. However, his contact rates have been below-average, sitting at 68% in 2024 and 73% in 2025, including 71% in Triple-A.

Long-term. I'm not sure if Clifford is more than a .240 hitter, but that could come with a higher OBP and around 25 home runs annually.

9. Xavier Isaac, TBR (21/AA)

From a borderline elite prospect to a borderline Top-200 overall prospect (for me), the fall for Xavier Isaac over the last year and a half has been remarkable. The drop really started late in 2024 when Isaac hit just .211 with a whopping 40.6% strikeout rate in 31 Double-A games.

Those struggles carried over into 2025 with Isaac hitting .201 in 41 games, but with a more manageable (but not good) 29.7% strikeout rate. Various injuries including an elbow issue limited Isaac to those 41 games in 2025.

With Isaac, the power potential is intriguing, and he could honestly become a 30-homer bat down the road if he's able to make enough contact. I'm just really questioning if the contact skills will be good enough for him to become a regular at the Major League level. Isaac's contact rate was around 60% in 2024 and 62% in 2025 to go with those higher strikeout rates I already mentioned. That's simply not going to cut it at the Major League level.

10. Blake Burke, MIL (22/AA)

Blake Burke is one of the better sneaky-good targets among prospects at the first base position. The 2024 34th overall pick played in 132 games between High-A and Double-A in 2025, slashing .292/.379/.453 with 27 doubles, 16 home runs, and 15 RBI. He was especially impactful at the plate in Double-A, mashing 11 home runs in 37 games after having just five in 95 High-A games.

I'm not worried about the low home run total in High-A though. Burke was limited by a 52.4% groundball rate which he dropped by a full 10% once he got up to Double-A. With that said, his 50.4% air rate and 34.3% pull rate from 2025 are lower than you'd like to see.

With better batted ball angles, Burke and his plus raw power could develop into a 25-homer threat. Burke also posted a respectable 74% contact rate with an 11.5% walk rate and 23.8% strikeout rate. He could be a nice rankings riser in 2026.

If you enjoyed these rankings and want to see additional rankings, analysis, and more, check out Eric's Toolshed Fantasy Patreon.

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