Up next in my roto draft prep series are the 1B rankings. There are currently three first basemen with a first round ADP and 14 being drafted inside the top 100 so it’s certainly a spot that offers plenty of fantasy production. That said the lowers tiers of this group are filled with questions marks, making the selection of potential CI and utility players a very intriguing exercise.
If you saw my catcher preview earlier this week you noticed I’m making some changes to my rankings format this season. Instead of tiered commentary I’ve broken down my analysis into two sections; overall draft approach to the position and thoughts on individual players. Hope you enjoy the new setup and as always I’d love to hear your feedback.
Note: I’m using Yahoo positional eligibility which tends to be more lenient than most other sites so there’s a chance some players you see here may not actually be 1B eligible in your league.
Fake Pigskin Exclusive: Join Monkey Knife Fight and Get an Instant 100% Deposit Match PLUS a Free $5 Game!
C | 1B | 2B| 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP
| Player | Rank | League | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kris Bryant | 1 | NL | Cubs |
| Paul Goldschmidt | 2 | NL | D'backs |
| Anthony Rizzo | 3 | NL | Cubs |
| Miguel Cabrera | 4 | AL | Tigers |
| Joey Votto | 5 | NL | Reds |
| Edwin Encarnacion | 6 | AL | Indians |
| Freddie Freeman | 7 | NL | Braves |
| Daniel Murphy | 8 | NL | Nationals |
| Ian Desmond | 9 | NL | Rockies |
| Jose Abreu | 10 | AL | White Sox |
| Wil Myers | 11 | NL | Padres |
| Matt Carpenter | 12 | NL | Cardinals |
| Chris Davis | 13 | AL | Orioles |
| Hanley Ramirez | 14 | AL | Red Sox |
| Todd Frazier | 15 | AL | White Sox |
| Eric Hosmer | 16 | AL | Royals |
| Carlos Santana | 17 | AL | Indians |
| Albert Pujols | 18 | AL | Angels |
| Victor Martinez | 19 | AL | Tigers |
| Kendrys Morales | 20 | AL | Blue Jays |
| Adrian Gonzalez | 21 | NL | Dodgers |
| Brandon Belt | 22 | NL | Giants |
| Mike Napoli | 23 | AL | Rangers |
| Brad Miller | 24 | AL | Rays |
| Tommy Joseph | 25 | NL | Phillies |
| Justin Bour | 26 | NL | Marlins |
| Eric Thames | 27 | NL | Brewers |
| Greg Bird | 28 | AL | Yankees |
| Travis Shaw | 29 | NL | Brewers |
| Lucas Duda | 30 | NL | Mets |
| Matt Holliday | 31 | AL | Yankees |
| Brandon Moss | 32 | AL | Royals |
| Mitch Moreland | 33 | AL | Red Sox |
| C.J. Cron | 34 | AL | Angels |
| Jedd Gyorko | 35 | NL | Cardinals |
| Kennys Vargas | 36 | AL | Twins |
| Josh Bell | 37 | NL | Pirates |
| Danny Valencia | 38 | AL | Mariners |
| Chris Carter | 39 | AL | Yankees |
| Steve Pearce | 40 | AL | Blue Jays |
Positional Strategy
- If possible I really want to grab one of the top six guys. This works best if you have a mid to late pick where you can grab one of the elite 3B in the first and then either Miguel Cabrera, Joey Votto or Edwin Encarnacion on the way back.
- Given how it has been historically difficult for first basemen to sustain steal totals over multiple years, I’m downgrading my speed expectations for both Ian Desmond and Wil Myers.
- Now my ranking of each still projects them to swipe at least 12-15 bags, but the larger point is that drafting either won’t affect how I approach the category later in the draft.
- Hanley is the last player I would feel comfortable with as my starting 1B. The Carlos Santana, Albert Pujols, Kendry Morales group is much better suited as an option for your utility spot and beyond that things start to get really messy.
- With the exception of a few guys, everyone outside the top 20 is essentially in a platoon role and thus has playing time questions.
- This actually presents some great value in daily leagues, but in weekly formats I’m leaning towards looking at 3B to fill my CI spot.
Player Notes
- I touched on Hanley Ramirez earlier and he’s quickly becoming one of my main targets in drafts.
- Health has always been a bigger concern than performance for him and that should no longer be an issue given his new DH role.
- Last year’s huge second half showed he still has plenty of power potential and that along with Boston’s powerhouse lineup is enough to give him top-5 upside at the position this season.
-
Tommy Joseph and Justin Bour are decent power options in deeper leagues and especially in NL-only.
- Both should get fairly consistent at-bats and 25-30 home runs seem likely.
- The upside is limited, but the floor should be higher than for most other players in this range.
- Milwaukee is such a terrific park for left-handed power that it instantly makes Eric Thames and Travis Shaw interesting late round options.
- Steamer projections absolutely love Thames as their model has him down for 29 home runs and 13 steals.
- Shaw’s value will depends on his playing time, but even in a platoon role he should approach 20 homers.
