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

Midseason Rankings and Tiers: First Base (1B)

With the first half of the season in the books, it’s time for one last RotoBaller rankings update. As with our May edition, these rest-of-season rankings come from myself and the ever-so-suave Kyle Bishop. We’ll tackle each position individually, with one column from each of us today through Sunday. Alongside the catcher breakdown, Day One bears the first base breakdown.

Check out all of our updated rankings. Adjust your league size, and export your rankings. Tiers, auction values, prospects, news and more. It's all free.

Let's dance.

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

 

2017 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: First Basemen (Midseason Update)

Ranking Tier Player Position Kyle Nick Composite
1 1 Paul Goldschmidt 1B 3 2 2.5
2 2 Joey Votto 1B 8 13 10.5
3 2 Freddie Freeman 1B 21 12 16.5
4 2 Anthony Rizzo 1B 19 17 18
5 3 Miguel Cabrera 1B 32 19 25.5
6 3 Edwin Encarnacion 1B 37 48 42.5
7 4 Matt Carpenter 1B/2B/3B 66 54 60
8 4 Justin Bour 1B 61 60 60.5
9 4 Jose Abreu 1B 83 43 63
10 4 Justin Smoak 1B 80 51 65.5
11 4 Wil Myers 1B 86 46 66
12 4 Eric Thames 1B 70 70 70
13 5 Ryan Zimmerman 1B 125 74 99.5
14 5 Yonder Alonso 1B 143 71 107
15 5 Hanley Ramirez 1B 142 81 111.5
16 5 Chris Davis 1B 88 138 113
17 5 Travis Shaw 1B/3B 44 185 114.5
18 5 Logan Morrison 1B 158 72 115
19 5 Matt Holliday 1B/OF 99 140 119.5
20 5 Marwin Gonzalez 1B 102 142 122
21 5 Eric Hosmer 1B 94 168 131
22 6 Carlos Santana 1B 139 170 154.5
23 6 Kendrys Morales 1B 277 131 204
24 6 Lucas Duda 1B 239 191 215
25 6 Albert Pujols 1B 234 202 218
26 6 Brandon Belt 1B 232 219 225.5
27 6 Victor Martinez 1B #N/A 231 231
28 6 Joshua Bell 1B/OF 299 173 236
29 6 Matt Adams 1B 255 236 245.5
30 7 Mike Napoli 1B 290 216 253
31 7 Mitch Moreland 1B 278 246 262
32 7 Adrian Gonzalez 1B #N/A 269 269
33 7 Tommy Joseph 1B 262 294 278
34 7 Danny Valencia 1B/3B/OF 293 #N/A 293
35 7 David Freese 1B/3B #N/A 295 295
36 7 Greg Bird 1B #N/A 350 350

 

Midseason First Base Rankings Analysis

Tier 1

It’s Paul Goldschmidt or nothing baby, as the consensus top-three bat has carried all five traditional fantasy categories with extraordinary marks. The humidor is no longer coming in to even threaten his power -- his 35-homer power, that is -- as he’s easily on pace to shatter his career high in runs scored (106) and while he likely won’t top 2013’s 125 RBI, the 25 bags and average in the .310s just makes it all okay. That said, it’s worth noting that his career batting average is 30 points lower in the second half and his career OPS goes down 100 points (.971 to .871). So, there’s your precedent if you were to feel an itch to trade him.

Tier 2

While we have a different order, Kyle and I agree that Joey Votto, Freddie Freeman and Anthony Rizzo are the next three to choose from. I think that Freddie’s ridiculous stretch from last season’s spike through the All-Star break here gives him the nod, but I can see the argument for Votto’s floor (he is still my No. 13 overall pick, after all). Even with Freeman’s missed time, his 25.9 offensive runs above average according to Fangraphs is third-best at the position -- trailing Votto (28.7) and Goldy (31.4) by a relatively slim margin.

Rizzo is only 10th at the position, but we can’t just throw away his potential given that he’s still on pace to crank 35 round-trippers. His low .259 average is wilting under a career-worst .242 BABIP, a mark that sat at .309 last season. His batted-ball metrics aren’t far enough off for that to continue from a statistical point of view, so keep some faith.

Tier 3 

Two aging veterans that are trending downward in Miguel Cabrera and Edwin Encarnacion reside here, but at least EE gave us a powerful June with seven homers, 24 runs scored and 20 RBI with a .322 average. He’s historically been cold in April, so those struggles weren’t all too surprising. In fact, his career OPS by month paints him as right on track: bad in April (.756), improving but still not there in May (.818), red-hot in June (.948), and then steady between .834-.891 per month in the second half. He should be okay.

Miggy, on the other hand, looks to be slogging through some injuries and is getting no love in the luck department with his .418 xwOBA sitting 67 points above his .351 wOBA. That disparity is the highest in the league, though not terribly unexpected for a slow hitter that calls Detroit home (five Tigers populate the top 15 on that leaderboard). I do not feel comfortable leaning on him in the second half, legend that he is.

Tier 4

While I have several of the names inside this tier higher overall than Kyle, we seem to agree on the overall structure of the party. I think that while Wil Myers has certainly slipped, he’s still on the warpath toward an 85/30/80/18/.255 season and I’m a sucker for power/speed guys. The 26-year-old validating last season’s speed spike in the first half warms my heart so I still prefer him to first-year phenoms like Justin Smoak, Justin Bour and Yonder Alonso.

Jose Abreu is another guy I’m more bullish on (though that’s been the story of my ranking career, I think) as his second-half .902 OPS blows his .858 OPS out of the water even though the 30-year-old has already crushed 16 homers with 58 RBI and 53 runs scored (14 fewer than his whole 2016) with a .299 average. The White Sox may sell some pieces around him to dampen things, but I like his bat to trend upward if Yoan Moncada joins the party and sparks things.

Tier 5

Might as well get this out of the way: I still love Hanley Ramirez and I think he could have a second half like 2016. You know, when he smashed 22 homers in just 66 games. HanRam’s last 18 games heading into the break saw him deliver a .319 average with four homers and a 39.7 percent hard-hit rate, and while his supporting cast isn’t performing as well as 2016’s did, I’m a believer in his bat when hot and healthy. I admit that Travis Shaw is way too low for me, so I’ll rectify that by explaining how he’s hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games with five homers in that span. While he still can’t really hit lefties all that well, his eight-homer June put him back on the map and hopefully he doesn’t plummet below the Mendoza line in the second half like last season (I don’t think he will).

Tiers 6 & 7

Kendrys Morales, why have you betrayed me?! The 34-year-old is still flirting with a 30-homer season, but that doesn’t mean as much this season as it did in ’16 and his .252 average holds him back. Well, the defense that he slaps the ball into as a lefty hitter holds him back. He’s hitting .320 as a righty (in 75 at-bats) against a .231 mark as a lefty (242 ABs), but overall he pulls the ball half of the time when hitting a grounder -- and only with a 25.6 hard-hit rate compared to a HH-rate over 50 percent on liners and fly balls -- which combines with his speed to really ding his average when the shift comes into play. I still hold out some hope here that the whole of Toronto will turn it around and his counting stats will bounce a bit as a result, but I accept being out on a limb with that.

Other than that, Kyle and I seem to be in agreement on both things -- except I errantly left Adrian Gonzalez and Victor Martinez in my rankings (scouring through 350 names can drive one mad). I think leaning on guys like Brandon Belt and Matt Adams will leave most people in 12-teamers okay to stay afloat if their other positions are performing well. A guy like Lucas Duda should be able to turn in healthy pop from say, a corner-infield slot in an OBP league, but boy would his value spike with a trade to the Yankees if this round of Greg Bird therapy falls through.

 

More Rankings & 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

Xavier Worthy

Chiefs to Open Up Offense in 2025
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Michael Lorenzen

Royals Put Michael Lorenzen on Injured List With Oblique Strain
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Stefon Diggs

Likely to Begin Camp Working on the Side
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Xavier Legette

Should be More Productive
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Cole Bishop

has Good Shot to Win a Starting Job
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Nate Wiggins

Ravens Think Nate Wiggins has Star Potential
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Kel'el Ware

Collects 21 Points in Summer League Loss on Sunday
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Cam Spencer

Contract Being Restructured
Drew Timme

Scores 30 Points in Summer League Loss to Wizards
Quinshon Judkins

More Details Emerge on Quinshon Judkins' Arrest
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Alexandre Sarr

Logs Impressive Outing in Summer League Action on Sunday
Junior Tafa

Unsuccessful in his Light-Heavyweight Debut
Kaden Elliss

Could be Atlanta's Most Impactful Pass-Rusher
Kyle Filipowski

Scores 21 Points in Summer League Loss to Warriors
Darius Robinson

Ready to Make his Mark in 2025?
Jauan Jennings

Expected to Report for Training Camp
Trey Smith

the Only Player Still on the Franchise Tag
Cody Williams

Collects 22 Points in Summer League Loss on Sunday
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Jauan Jennings

Seeking New Deal or Trade From 49ers
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Tosses Gem Against Giants
Shota Imanaga

Shuts Down Yankees on Sunday
Nathan Eovaldi

Dominant Again in Seventh Win
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
A.J. Dillon

Not a Lock for a Roster Spot?
Chicago White Sox

Billy Carlson Goes 10th Overall to White Sox
Cincinnati Reds

Steele Hall Selected Ninth by Cincinnati
Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays Select JoJo Parker with Eighth Overall Pick
Boston Celtics

Damian Lillard Drawing Interest from the Celtics
Miami Marlins

Marlins Select Aiva Arquette With Seventh Overall Pick
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates Select Seth Hernandez with Sixth Overall Pick
Kyle Stowers

Punishes Former Team with Three-Homer Game
St. Louis Cardinals

Cardinals Select Liam Doyle with Fifth Overall Pick
Daniel Gafford

Agrees to Contract Extension with Dallas
Colorado Rockies

Rockies Select Ethan Holliday Fourth Overall
Seattle Mariners

Kade Anderson Selected Third Overall by Seattle
Ha-Seong Kim

X-rays on Ha-Seong Kim's Foot Come Back Negative
Los Angeles Angels

Tyler Bremner Selected Second Overall by Angels in 2025 MLB Draft
Washington Nationals

Nationals Select Eli Willits First Overall
Jake Meyers

to Miss More Than Three Weeks With Calf Injury
Cooper Flagg

Shut Down for Rest of Summer League
LeBron James

Hasn't Requested a Trade
Quinshon Judkins

Following Quinshon Judkins Arrest, NFL Declines Comment
Travis Hunter

Earning Praise in Jaguars Camp for Work Ethic
Memphis Grizzlies

Cole Anthony, Grizzlies Agree to Contract Buyout
Edward Cabrera

Hopeful to Avoid Injured List
Oneil Cruz

Absent on Sunday
Lars Nootbaar

Placed on 10-Day Injured List
Jake Burger

Scratched on Sunday
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Julius Chestnut

Kalel Mullings Competing for RB3 Role
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
Kimani Vidal

Fighting for No. 3 Job
Cam Hart

Recovering From Shoulder Surgery
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
Quentin Johnston

Might Not Get Many Chances to Prove Himself
Tre Harris

Officially a Holdout
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
Travis Etienne Jr.

Needs to Bounce Back in 2025
Wan'Dale Robinson

Wants More Downfield Opportunities this Season
Alexandre Sarr

Plays Well in Summer League Loss to Phoenix
Yang Hansen

Looks Good on Friday Night
Erik Karlsson

Open to Move Away From Pittsburgh
Zach Hyman

Hopes to be Ready for Start of Next Season
SJ

Jeff Skinner Joins Sharks on One-Year Contract
Kon Knueppel

Struggles in Summer League Win
Walter Clayton Jr.

Plays Well on Friday Night
Cody Williams

Scores 21 Points in Summer League Loss
Kyle Filipowski

Leads the Way on Friday Night
Isaiah Jackson

Signs Three-Year Extension
Marvin Bagley III

Joining the Wizards
Herbert Jones

Signing Extension with Pelicans
Jacob Toppin

Returning to Hawks
Ryan Reaves

Traded to Sharks
Vladislav Kolyachonok

Moves to Dallas
Matt Dumba

Lands in Pittsburgh
Mackie Samoskevich

Re-Signs with Panthers on One-Year Deal
Josh Manson

Inks Two-Year Extension with Avalanche
EDM

Isaac Howard Signs Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract With Oilers
Tallison Teixeira

Set For His First UFC Main Event
Derrick Lewis

Set To Headline UFC Nashville
Gabriel Bonfim

Looks For His Third UFC Win
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
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
Nicolai Hojgaard

May Feel More at Home in Europe
Harry Hall

Showing Fine Form Heading to Scotland
Ryan Fox

Playing Well Since Early Spring Struggles
Max Greyserman

has Solid History at the Genesis Scottish Open
Harris English

Aims High for Scotland Next
Corey Conners

Primed for the Genesis Scottish Open
Daniel Brown

Attempts the Scottish Swing Again
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
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF