Top 10 First Base Prospect Rankings for Fantasy Baseball (2025)

December 31, 2024

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.

The first base position has long been considered one of the best offensive positions for fantasy purposes. However, the position is starting to age with top options like Freddie Freeman and Bryce Harper who are now 35 and 32 respectively.

Luckily, the top half of my top 10 below all projects to be impact fantasy first baseman and all should debut in 2025 or 2026. There's some sneaky talent at this position as well with several value targets in dynasty leagues.

For my entire Top 40 and additional writeups, check out my Patreon where you can find the full Top 40 here. And make sure to continue checking RotoBaller as I'm going to be going through all positions in the coming weeks!

First Base Prospect Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

Age and highest level in parenthesis

1. Bryce Eldridge, SFG (20/AAA)

Out of all the breakout prospects in 2024, not many shined brighter than San Francisco's Bryce Eldridge. As a 19-year-old, Eldridge slashed .292/.374/.516 with 27 doubles and 23 home runs in 116 games while rising from Lo-A to Triple-A. Eldridge also played 10 games in the AFL where he popped a pair of home runs and three doubles.

While you can still question if he's more of a .250 hitter or a .270 hitter, Eldridge's power cannot be questioned and should lead to more than 30 home runs annually. He's also shown the ability to walk at a higher clip and should be a big asset in OBP formats as well. I'd expect Eldridge to return to Triple-A to open 2025 and join the Giants at some point mid-season.

2. Nick Kurtz, OAK (21/AA)

There might not be a prospect with a higher blend of ceiling and floor at this position than Nick Kurtz. The former Wake Forest star's value around draft time seemed to dip a bit as he had an underwhelming open to the 2024 collegiate season, but Kurtz picked up the pace late in the season and mashed in the minors after the draft. There's easy plus raw power here with an exceptional approach at the plate and solid contact skills.

Nick Kurtz RBI single.#Athletics pic.twitter.com/AeyOxT4oYb

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) October 30, 2024

While he might not quite have the upside of Eldridge, Kurtz isn't far off either and has the higher floor given his more consistent contact skills. So, if you want to grab an elite first-base prospect with a slightly lower price than Eldridge, Kurtz is your guy. He's probably going to keep up with the Sacramento Athletics of Las Vegas later in 2025 as well. The floor here is extremely high and the upside is an all-star first baseman.

3. Jac Caglianone, KCR (21/A+)

Without question, the biggest boom or bust prospect in this entire list is Jac Caglianone. The upside is a 40-homer bat given his massive raw power which he's already shown off in the Arizona Fall League including one game with two home runs over 110 mph and totaling nearly 900 feet. But that's just one part of the Caglianone experience.

Jac Caglianone rockets a single to right.

112.2 mph EV. pic.twitter.com/LXaW1NmRiA

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) November 2, 2024

Caglianone is an aggressive hitter that will chase outside the zone too often, but he also made improvements to his contact rates in 2024 and makes plenty of contact in the zone. Where the average winds up is still a question, but if Caglianone can maintain the contact gains he made in 2024 while also improving his chase rate moving forward, he should hit a respectable average to pair with his immense power upside.

4. Xavier Isaac, TBR (21/AA)

After rising up my rankings in 2023 and earlier in 2024, Xavier Isaac slid down my rankings during the second half of 2024 as his strikeout issues became more prominent down the stretch. Over the first three months of the season, Isaac's strikeout rate was still high at 28%, but that rate jumped to a whopping 41.2% over the final three months of the season.

On top of that, Isaac's slash line dropped from .296/.385/.553 in the first half to .224/.347/.391 in the second half. Isaac has consistently shown plus power, a higher walk rate, and sneaky speed/athleticism for his age which is exciting for fantasy purposes, but can he correct the swing-and-miss issues and make enough contact to hit for a decent average long-term?

That's the big question right now that he'll need to answer in 2025. as Isaac had a sub-60% contact rate overall in 2024. I will say, the frame looked good out in the AFL in my live looks and he was getting run out in the outfield as well. Something to monitor.

5. Josue Briceno, DET (20/A)

On the surface, Josue Briceño had a decent season in 40 games at Lakeland, hitting .278 with a .381 OBP, but only hitting a pair of home runs. I'm not overly worried about that though as Briceño had a 42.3% hard-hit rate and 89.8 mph AVG EV to go along with a 82.2% contact rate.

Briceno was also the best hitter out in the Arizona Fall League and won the league's MVP award after leading the league in hits, extra-base hits, home runs, total bases, average, and slugging.

Josue Briceño with a hard double down the right field line.#RepDetroit pic.twitter.com/PmIn18hrnn

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) October 31, 2024

This is an above-average contact hitter with plus raw power who also has a decent approach at the plate. Briceño is a great dynasty buy right now as his perceived value isn't overly high at the moment given his underwhelming and shortened 2024 season. Get ready for him to fly up the rankings in 2025.

6. Tyler Locklear, SEA (24/MLB)

Out of this entire top 10, Tyler Locklear is one the best value targets right now in dynasty leagues. Locklear often gets a bit lost in the shuffle at this position as he's not flashy and has never put up massive offensive numbers in the minors. However, we're talking about a career .280 hitter in the minors with an impressive .389 OBP.

Locklear saw his contact rates dip in 2024, but hopefully, those can rebound to pre-2024 levels and he has enough power to get into the 20-25 homer range annually. While he'll probably never be a starting-caliber first baseman for fantasy, there's a path to him being a player you possibly consider for a corner infield slot.

7. Deyvison De Los Santos, MIA (21/AAA)

You're going to find a lot of varying rankings and opinions on Deyvison De Los Santos this offseason. On the surface, De Los Santos had a massive season with 40 home runs and a .294/.343/.571 slash line between Arizona and Miami's Triple-A affiliates.

However, his season looks less appealing when you pop the hood. Yes, De Los Santos has big power, but his Quality of Contact metrics weren't as elite as you'd think with an 88.9 mph AVG EV, 37.7% hard-hit rate, and 10.1%-barrel rate, and De Los Santos had a lowly 64% contact rate overall.

What helps is the fact that De Los Santos played in the most hitter-friendly Double-A ballpark (Amarillo) and the most hitter-friendly Triple-A ballpark (Reno) for a combined 87 games in 2024. His combined slash line was .325/.376/.635 with 28 home runs.

After shifting to the Miami organization and into a less hitter-friendly Jacksonville ballpark, De Los Santos slashed .240/.284/.459 with 12 home runs in 50 games. To add, De Los Santos had a ridiculous 48.4% HR/FB rate in Double-A. That's ridiculous. I'm not saying that De Los Santos can't be a fantasy-viable bat, but he's more in the .230/30 range for me long-term and he'll likely be a liability in the OBP column as well.

8. Tre' Morgan, TBR (22/AA)

We go from one end of the spectrum with De Los Santos to the opposite end with Tre' Morgan. For me, Morgan is one of the more difficult first basemen to rank. Why? Because he's not a traditional first baseman offensively. Morgan is a contact-first hitter who had a contact rate above 80% in 2024, but Morgan's power is below average, and he had a groundball rate above 48% in both Lo-A and Hi-A this season.

Tre Morgan drives in Denzel Clarke with a single and advances to second on the throw. #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/kLTQMa3kWu

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) October 31, 2024

This just isn't a profile that's indicative of power and I can't project more than 10-15 home runs annually right now. But if Morgan can get into that range while adding double-digit steals and a higher AVG/OBP, he's still going to be able to provide fantasy value. Morgan has also seen plenty of time in the outfield as well which might wind up being his long-term defensive home.

9. Tyler Black, MIL (24/MLB)

While Tyler Black's first 57 plate appearances didn't bring much offensively, I'd be looking to buy Black this offseason in dynasty leagues. Black runs above-average contact rates (80% in Triple-A), walks at a higher clip, and can provide 15-20 steals annually as well.

I'm not sure he's much more than a 15-homer bat, but Black should be able to do a bit of everything while not hurting you in any one area. But the problem at the moment is the playing time situation in 2025. With Rhys Hoskins at first base, Black doesn't have a clear path to playing time at the moment.

10. Ralphy Velazquez, CLE (19/A+)

Entering 2024, Ralphy Velazquez was pushing Top 5 at this position but now finds himself nearly outside my Top 10 following a lackluster 2024 showing. Velazquez showed a strong approach at the plate, but his contact rate was in the 73% range and his game power was underwhelming despite hitting the ball at ideal angles.

With all that said, I'm expecting a better 2025 showing as the raw power is above average and he makes enough contact to tap into it. He's a decent buy low in dynasty leagues right now.

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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