Our fantasy baseball rankings continue with the best first baseman.

The first base position is really, really deep. There’s all kind of power at the position. There is somewhat of a cliff after you get past the first five or six guys, but you will still be able to get your 1B/3B or backup 1B late in the draft.

My rankings are based on a standard 5×5 league. If you have any specific questions about a different league, email me BobbyMcrib@gmail.com.

1. Paul Goldschmidt – Arizona Diamondbacks – Goldschmidt has been a first-round pick for awhile now. He isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. He’s in the lineup every game, hits for power, is a near-automatic .295 hitter and even steals double-digit bases. He’s about as good as it gets for a corner infielder.

2. Joey Votto – Cincinnati Reds – Goldschmidt only slightly edged out Votto for #1 on my list. He bounced back from a slow start in 2016, which hurt is overall numbers for the season. His numbers last year was as good as Goldschmidt. I just had to give Goldschmidt a slight nod since he has a shot for more RBI and the steals helped him. If you lose out on Goldschmidt in your draft, Votto is a nice consolidation prize.

3. Freddie Freeman – Atlanta Braves – Freeman suffered a broken wrist and missed 44 games last season. The Braves didn’t miss a beat after acquiring Matt Adams who got off to a hot start. He was so hot that Freeman decided to move to third if Adam stayed hot, but he didn’t. Freeman still managed to hit 28 homers and hit .307 in just 117 games. Atlanta doesn’t have a lot of offense on the team, but I still think he will be good for solid numbers all around.

4. Cody Bellinger – Los Angeles Dodgers – I tabbed Bellinger as a possible breakout candidate before last season. The Dodgers always seem to have a guy waiting in the wings and Bellinger was that guy last season. After some injuries in the outfield, the Dodgers were forced to call-up their stud. He didn’t disappoint and hit 39 homers in 480 at-bats. I’m giving Bellinger a slight edge in my rankings due to his eligibility in outfield. I’m a huge believer in owning guys who can play more than just one position.

5. Anthony Rizzo – Chicago Cubs – Rizzo has a lot of Votto-esque qualities in him. He has a great eye at the plate, hits for average and power and will steal a few bases for you. He doesn’t strikeout much, so he’s either walking or putting the ball in play. It helps that Rizzo is batting in an absolute stacked lineup, so he’s getting some pitches to hit. If you’re getting any of the top-five guys to play first base on your fantasy team, you’re putting yourself in a great spot to contend.

6. Jose Abreu – Chicago White Sox – Don’t sleep on guys on bad teams. They will get plenty at-bats and if they are down late in games, they will be given the green light to swing for the fences. The White Sox may not be very good this season, but Abreu has all the skills to be a top fantasy first baseman this season, even if he’s traded to a contender midseason.

7. Edwin Encarnacion – Cleveland Indians – Encarnacion resurrected his career when he went to Toronto. He hit the cover off the ball for the Blue Jays. He has hit at least 30 homers in each of the past six seasons. He will serve as the primary designated hitter for the Indians this season. He could even play some first base to switch up the lineup or when they play at National League parks. He will have every opportunity to go for 40 homers this season. Also, he will be hitting behind some talented hitters, so his RBI total could get a bump.

8. Rhys Hoskins – Philadelphia Phillies – Hoskins is a hard guy to pinpoint where he will end up in fantasy. The kid hit 18 homers in his first 34 games late last season. Pitchers did figure him out the last few weeks of the season, so will he be a high power/low average hitter? He is playing a homer-friendly park and has an uppercut swing like Kris Bryant, so he will get his share of homers. I don’t expect him to end the season as a .220 hitter or anything, but I wouldn’t expect him to hit .270, so somewhere in the middle is my assumption. I’m ranking him at #8 due to all the power upside his swing possesses. He will also end up with outfield eligibility early in the season.

9. Wil Myers – San Diego Padres – Myers had a resurgence in 2016 and continued his hot hitting last season. He crushed 30 homers, but only had 74 RBI on a bad Padres team. He also saw a dip in his batting average by not having much support around him in the lineup. He will also get outfield eligibility since the guy below him is taking over his job at first base.

10. Eric Hosmer – San Diego Padres – The Padres made a bit splash by signing Hosmer to a big money deal. They weren’t my first pick to be in the running for Hosmer, but he will make the team better. He hit .318 with 25 homers and 94 RBI in 603 at-bats for the Royals. I don’t see him matching those numbers in his first year for the Padres, but he will have solid numbers. His power numbers could take a hit playing at PETCO 81 times a year. 

11. Buster Posey – San Francisco Giants – As you read in my catcher fantasy rankings post, Posey is as consistent of a hitter as you can get in the Majors. If you own Posey, you’re probably playing him at catcher, but with him having first base eligibility, he doesn’t hurt that you have roster options.

12. Miguel Cabrera – Detroit Tigers – Cabrera was dealing with numerous injuries all season. He had back surgery in the offseason, which should help his bat speed, which took a hit last year. Will Miggy be an MVP candiate again? I doubt he will regain that form, but he will hit for a better average and hit 20+ homers, a solid 1B/3B corner infield play in fantasy.

13. Joey Gallo – Texas Rangers – Gallo’s sheer power is hard to ignore. The issue with him is all the strikeouts and poor batting average. He’s a tough play in Roto since you have to stack a lot of high average guys to balance out the .210-ish average he will carry on the season. Also, he’s a streaky guy who will go a week without a homer and then hit five the next week. I have him at #13 since he is one of the hardest hitters in the Majors and could take a Chris Davis-like step to become a better overall hitter.

14. Ian Desmond – Colorado Rockies – I was very high on Desmond to start last season. Unfortunately, he broke his hand in Spring Training and it was pretty much a lost season for him. His replacement, Mark Reynolds, ended up having a very good year. Colorado paid Desmond a lot of money, so he will get plenty of at-bats to be a bounce-back candidate. He still has good speed and should steal 15+ bases, which is very good for first base.

15. Carlos Santana – Philadelphia Phillies – You’re not really going to jump for joy if you end up with Santana as your corner infielder, but he’s a solid fantasy player for that role. He is hitting in a homer-friendly park and should see his power numbers jump a little. You could get him late since there are ‘sexier’ picks (like Olson or Smoak) that could be taken before him.

16. Matt Olson – Oakland A’s – Olson bounced back-and-forth between the Majors and Triple-A five times, but after his six promotion, he stuck with the team due to his power. He hit 24 homers in only 189 at-bats. Olson was right up there with Desmond and Santana, but I placed him down here due to his streaky play. Pitchers will figure him out in a hurry and he won’t have the advantage of being an unknown commodity. He will still hit 30+ homers, but I worry about his strikeouts and average.

17. Justin Smoak – Toronto Blue Jays – Remember when everyone wanted ‘The Smoak Monster’ on their fantasy team? He had such hype coming from the minors, but he never got a lot of playing time due to ineffectiveness or stuck in a platoon. He finally found a place where he could play everyday and the guy knocked 38 homers and hit for .270. The Blue Jays lost some power from their lineup, so they will need Smoak more than every. I don’t see him matching last year’s numbers, but he will be a solid corner infield option.

18. Matt Carpenter – St. Louis Cardinals – Carpenter was a fantasy stud a few seasons ago, but it’s been awhile since he hit those numbers. He’s not a 20 homer guy and his average will be around .255 for the year. Some have pegged him as a bounce back candidate, but I see Jose Matinez as a guy who could usurp Carpenter and steal some at-bats.

19. Ryan Zimmerman – Washington Nationals – Zimmerman had a career year and he credits finally being healthy after putting added focus on yoga and aspects of his diet. He has struggled with injuries the last few years, but can he put together another season like he did last year? It’s hard to be confident he can stay healthy enough to get 500 at-bats, but he’s might be worth the gamble.

20. Justin Bour – Miami Marlins – The Marlins have sold off nearly every player with value, so I’m surprised Bour survived the bloodbath. First base is deep on power, so Bour’s 25 homers in 377 at-bats doesn’t stand out a lot, but those numbers are good. I worry he will stick around the same offensive total, but just because he’s on a bad team doesn’t mean you should avoid him. 

21. Marwin Gonzalez – Houston Astros – Gonzalez is eligible at nearly every position. I used him all over the place last season. He’s probably a better middle infielder option due to first base being so deep, but he’s worth a look if you’re adding some corner infield depth towards the middle of the draft.

22. Josh Bell – Pittsburgh Pirates – I’m lower on Bell than most people. His power numbers jumped a bit, but his average took a bit hit. He should focus on being a consistent hitter like he was in the minors. Sure, his power numbers won’t be very high, but the Pirates will need guys on base this season. 

23. Chris Davis – Baltimore Orioles – All the improvement to his skills Davis made a few seasons ago to be an MVP candidate have regressed. He’s now basically Joey Gallo with less power upside. Also, since the Orioles have both Trey Mancini and Mark Trumbo (who may have 1B eligibility at some point this season), Davis could see his at-bats vultured if he is in a slump. He is still a known quantity and you’re not going to suffer a huge loss if you get him as a bench player.

24. Greg Bird – New York Yankees – I was high on Bird going into last season, but he struggled out of the gate and ended up in the minors. He was called up again late in the season and managed to get his batting average up to a sultry .190. He’s not going to have a season as bad as last year, but I have a feeling his ceiling isn’t quite as high as we thought going into last season.

25. Eric Thames – Milwaukee Brewers – Thames was a beast early last season, but someone unplugged him a few weeks before the All-Star Break. He was then put in a platoon, where he will be this season. Listen, there’s still some power upside to him since he knocked the cover off the ball for a few seasons in the KBO, He will have outfield eligibility, so he could be a solid option for five-outfield leagues.

26. Yuli Gurriel – Houston Astros – A lot of people expected Gurriel to be a fantasy stud coming from Cuba, but he’s now 34 years old. As much as a guy can flourish in Cuba, the Majors have more talent. The age thing also hurts him a little. He’s still a high-contact guy who will hit 20+ homers, so he’s a serviceable bench guy in mixed leagues and a 1B/3B starter in AL-only league.

27. Trey Mancini – Baltimore Orioles – Mancini had 543 at-bats last year and thanks to a .385 BABIP in the first-half, his season numbers look great. Mancini was cold down the stretch, but he should still be a solid bench guy, since he also has outfield eligibility.

28. Yonder Alonso – Cleveland Indians – I don’t know what to say about Alonso. He has always been a hard hitter, but never had a high fly-ball rate. He focused on getting under balls last season and saw a huge increase in homers. He went from a perennial single-digit homer guy to hitting 28 last season. I don’t see him touching that total, but he should still have a solid year for the Tribe.

29. Brandon Belt – San Francisco Giants – If Belt played for a team with a hitter-friendly park, he could put up huge offensive numbers, but AT&T Park kills some of his power numbers. He should hit 20+ homers with a .260-ish average. He has some new guys around him in the lineup, so he could see better pitches.

30. Ryan McMahon – Colorado Rockies – McMahon is a highly-regarded first base prospect and the door is open in Colorado for playing time. He has some position flexibility as he has played some second base in the past and could eventually gain fantasy eligibility there. Also, if McMahon start off hot, they could move Desmond to left field. McMahon has a lot of life in his bat, so he deserves some at-bats. 

31. Jose Martinez – St. Louis Cardinals
32. Ryon Healy – Seattle Mariners
33. Logan Morrison – Minnesota Twins
34. C.J. Cron – Tampa Bay Rays
35. Chase Headley – San Diego Padres
36. Lucas Duda – Free Agent
37. Mitch Moreland – Boston Red Sox
38. Matt Adams – Washington Nationals
39. Joe Mauer – Minnesota Twins
40. Mark Reynolds – Free Agent

There are some free agent options still out there as Duda and Reynolds could be top-30 guys by the start of the regular season. Martinez and Healy as also guys with a lot of upside. Headley, Moreland and Mauer are known guys and you’re going to get what you expect. Adams is a bit of a wild card since he excelled last season in short stints. I don’t see him getting a ton of at-bats at first, but could find himself in a good position if an injury or two occurs. Morrison is also intriguing as a newly-signed member of the Twins. I’m not sold he can match last season’s offensive output.

41. Hunter Dozier – Kansas City Royals
42. Tommy Joseph – Philadelphia Phillies
43. Wilmer Flores – New York Mets
44. Luis Valbuena – Los Angeles Angels
45. Adrian Gonzalez – New York Mets
46. Mike Napoli – Free Agent
47. Jesus Aguilar – Milwaukee Brewers
48. Colin Moran – Pittsburgh Pirates
49. Adam Lind – Free Agent
50. Danny Valencia – Free Agent

There are a few more free agents that round out this list. The guys above are mostly just players who you need to be aware of, but if you find them on your team, you’re probably having a bad season.

I hope you enjoyed our 2018 Fantasy Baseball Top 50 First Baseman rankings. We are planning on doing this for every position (the outfielder and pitcher rankings will be massive).

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About the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.