Top 75 First Base Fantasy Baseball Rankings: February Updates

February 23, 2026

Top 75 first base (1B) fantasy baseball rankings, draft tiers for roto leagues (February updates). Nick Mariano's tiered 1B fantasy baseball draft rankings.

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All teams have reported to spring training, and actual baseball is being played. Baseball is officially back! Opening Day is right around the corner, giving fantasy managers a brief period to draft their teams. At Rotoballer, we continue our positional rankings series with our updated 2026 fantasy baseball first base rankings and tiers for roto leagues (5x5 category mixed leagues). These February rankings cover the top 75 first basemen for 2026.

Now that most players have reported to spring training, fantasy managers should expect to hear a lot of news, rumors, and hype this offseason on trendy picks or even a player having a hot spring. When should you take a chance on a first baseman who is on the rise, a top prospect, a player returning from injury, or an 1B who is set to bounce back this season? Find out where key first basemen such as Rafael Devers, Tyler Soderstrom, Michael Busch, Jac Caglianone, Willson Contreras, and Alec Burleson are listed below in the latest rankings.

The first base rankings below are specifically designed for traditional roto leagues, put together by RotoBaller's lead MLB forecaster Nick Mariano. We're also writing fresh articles all throughout the off-season for fantasy baseball prospects, fantasy baseball dynasty, and so much more. Win more in 2026!

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Updated Fantasy Baseball 1B Rankings (February)

Tier	Rank	Player	Position
1	1	Nick Kurtz	1B
1	2	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	1B
2	3	Pete Alonso	1B
2	4	Matt Olson	1B
2	5	Bryce Harper	1B
3	6	Freddie Freeman	1B
3	7	Rafael Devers	1B
3	8	Josh Naylor	1B
4	9	Ben Rice	C/1B
4	10	Vinnie Pasquantino	1B
4	11	Tyler Soderstrom	1B/OF
4	12	Michael Busch	1B
4	13	Yandy Diaz	1B
4	14	Salvador Perez	C/1B
5	15	Jac Caglianone	1B/OF
5	16	Jonathan Aranda	1B
5	17	Alec Burleson	1B/OF
5	18	Willson Contreras	1B
5	19	Spencer Torkelson	1B
6	20	Kazuma Okamoto	1B/3B
6	21	Christian Walker	1B
6	22	Sal Stewart	1B
7	23	Munetaka Murakami	1B/3B
7	24	Kyle Manzardo	1B
7	25	Lenyn Sosa	1B/2B
7	26	Alec Bohm	1B/3B
7	27	Jake Burger	1B
7	28	Spencer Steer	1B/OF
8	29	Ernie Clement	1B/2B/3B/SS
8	30	Miguel Vargas	1B/3B
8	31	Luis Arraez	1B/2B
8	32	Andrew Vaughn	1B
8	33	Ryan O'Hearn	1B/OF
8	34	Nolan Schanuel	1B
8	35	Colt Keith	1B/2B/3B
9	36	Spencer Horwitz	1B
9	37	Josh Smith	1B/3B/SS/OF
9	38	Bryce Eldridge	1B
9	39	Josh Bell	1B
9	40	Gavin Sheets	1B/OF
9	41	Kody Clemens	1B/2B/OF
9	42	Romy Gonzalez	1B/2B
9	43	Jared Triolo	1B/2B/3B/SS
9	44	Jake Cronenworth	1B/2B/SS
9	45	Troy Johnston	1B/OF
9	46	Coby Mayo	1B
9	47	C.J. Kayfus	1B/OF
9	48	Triston Casas	1B
9	49	Paul Goldschmidt	1B
9	50	Rhys Hoskins	1B
9	51	Tim Tawa	1B/2B/OF
10	52	Liam Hicks	C/1B
10	53	Ryan Mountcastle	1B
10	54	Casey Schmitt	1B/2B/3B
10	55	Victor Caratini	C/1B
10	56	Pavin Smith	1B
10	57	Nathaniel Lowe	1B
10	58	Jake Bauers	1B/OF
10	59	Christian Encarnacion-Strand	1B/3B
10	60	Charlie Condon	1B/OF
10	61	Otto Kemp	1B/3B/OF
10	62	Curtis Mead	1B/2B/3B
10	63	Eric Wagaman	1B/OF
10	64	Luke Raley	1B/OF
10	65	Michael Toglia	1B
11	66	Andruw Monasterio	1B/2B/3B/SS
11	67	Wilmer Flores	1B
11	68	Dylan Moore	1B/2B/3B/OF
11	69	Blaine Crim	1B
11	70	Ty France	1B
11	71	Warming Bernabel	1B
11	72	Josue Briceno	C/1B
11	73	Ryan Clifford	1B/OF
11	74	Esmerlyn Valdez	1B/OF
11	75	Ryan Ward	1B/OF
11	76	Ezequiel Duran	1B/2B/3B/SS/OF

Fantasy Baseball First Base (1B) News

Nolan Schanuel, Los Angeles Angels

Los Angeles Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel improved his average bat speed by 2.3 mph from 2024 to 2025, which was the sixth-best jump in the majors, according to Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register. Schanuel said he spent the offseason working on the same type of drills while also working on his barrel control as he seeks more power and extra-base hits.

The 24-year-old left-handed hitter has a .257 average and .348 on-base percentage in his first two full major-league seasons and has struck out only 13% of the time, but he's added just 25 home runs.

Perhaps Schanuel will start hitting the ball over the fence more often in 2026 as he continues to search for more power, but until that happens, it's hard to get excited about him in shallow mixed fantasy leagues. Schanuel is most valuable in deeper leagues that count on-base percentage as corner-infield depth.

Christian Encarncion-Strand, Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona said that corner infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand (hamstring) could get into Cactus League games at the beginning of next week, according to Charlie Goldsmith of FOX 19. Encarnacion-Strand came to spring training a bit behind the other position players due to a minor hamstring injury that he suffered in January, but it doesn't appear to be anything that will keep the 26-year-old from being ready to go for Opening Day in late March.

Ke'Bryan Hayes is now locked in as the team's starting third baseman, while Eugenio Suarez, Sal Stewart, and Spencer Stewart should all rotate between first base and designated hitter in 2026, making it likely that Encarnacion-Strand will be on the outside looking in for an Opening Day roster spot. CEH has notable power, but he chases outside the zone too much. The former fourth-rounder hit just .208/.234/.377 with a .610 OPS in 36 big-league games in 2025 and finished the year in the minors.

Spencer Torkelson, Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson got back on track with 31 home runs and 118 wRC+ across 155 games in the majors last season. Torkelson's offensive contributions fell so much in 2024 that Detroit sent him to Triple-A to get right. However, he bounced back with a full season at the MLB level in 2025, delivering major contributions to the Tigers and his fantasy managers.

In addition to the 31 homers and 118 wRC+, he produced a .240/.333/.456 slash line with an 11.1% walk rate and 26.0% strikeout rate. Striking out more than one quarter of the time isn't ideal, but it's a fair trade-off for a player who will hit 30-40 home runs and walk in more than 10% of their plate appearances.

Torkelson finds himself at #19 among first basemen in RotoBaller's fantasy rankings for 2026, with an ADP of 186. The rankings place him just behind Willson Contreras, Alec Burleson, and Jonathan Aranda, and just ahead of Kazuma Okamoto, Christian Walker, and Sal Stewart.

Kyle Manzardo, Cleveland Guardians

Cleveland Guardians first baseman Kyle Manzardo is ready to build on last year's success and came into spring training with a new look and new approach. The 25-year-old lefty bulked up this offseason, adding about 15 pounds coming into spring training.

In 2025, he hit .234 in his first full season in the majors, exactly matching his batting average from 53 games in 2024. He dramatically increased his power production, though, with a .221 ISO, .329 wOBA, and 27 homers in his 142 games. While a 30-homer season is definitely a real possibility, Manzardo said his focus is to be better situationally.

He's projected to hit fourth in the batting order again this season, right behind the always-productive Jose Ramirez. Manzardo's ADP is low enough that he can be a great option late in drafts if your team needs a little power and can take a hit in batting average.

T.J. Rumfield, Colorado Rockies

Colorado Rockies first base prospect T.J. Rumfield is in competition for the team's starting first base role, according to Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post. The Rockies enter spring training without a clear answer at first base and expect to have several players competing for the role.

Rumfield was shipped to the Rockies earlier this winter by the New York Yankees in exchange for right-hander Angel Chivilli. Last summer, Rumfield spent his entire campaign with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and held his own, posting a .285/.378/.447 slash line with 31 doubles, 16 home runs, and a 108:75 K:BB.

He is expected to be in the mix for the starting job alongside Edouard Julien, Blaine Crim, and fellow prospect Charlie Condon. If he were to carve out a role, Rumfield may have some sleeper appeal in deeper formats playing at Coors Field.

Griffin Conine, Miami Marlins

Miami Marlins corner outfielder Griffin Conine is learning first base this spring, according to Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. It's the same position his father, Jeff, played for most of his 17-year MLB career. The Marlins could use some depth at the position since Graham Pauley and Liam Hicks have limited experience there.

In addition to Conine, Christopher Morel and Connor Norby are working at first base to give the Fish more options. Miami's outfield is already heavy on left-handed bats with Kyle Stowers, Jakob Marsee, and prospect Owen Caissie. If the 28-year-old adapts well to the position in spring training, it's possible he could make plenty of starts there in 2026.

Conine only played in 24 games in Miami last year due to a dislocated shoulder that required surgery, and he went 20-for-79 (.253) with two homers and eight RBI. He had a nice 48.1% hard-hit rate, 14.8% barrel rate, and 117.4 mph maximum exit velocity in a short sample size, so he could become interesting as a depth outfielder in deeper fantasy leagues this year if he can carve out enough playing time at first base.