Chad Young’s 2023 Ottoneu 1B Rankings

With catchers out of the way, we continue to move around the IF, going from the worst offensive position to the best. First base is always both top-heavy and deep, and that is the case again this year. It creates an interesting dynamic where there is big production to be had by adding the top guys, but there is also good value to be had by waiting out the rest of the league and seeing who shows up cheap later in the auction. It creates an interesting strategic choice in which there are a lot of ways to build a team.

As with catchers, before I share the list, I want to share some notes on my process.

All of my Ottoneu Position Rankings: C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP | RP

1. Tiers > Ranks. The specific order of the rankings is less helpful and less meaningful than the tiers. Vinnie Pasquantino is #7 and Christian Walker #8, but Walker is closer to Jose Abreu for me than he is to Pasquantino. I am always open to discuss my rankings – and I will change them based on convincing feedback – but moving guys around within the tiers just doesn’t matter much. If you want to argue, tell me who is in the wrong tier entirely.
2. Format Matters. These are for Ottoneu FanGraphs points format, but can be used fairly effectively for SABR Points (bats are slightly more valuable; for pitchers things vary more) and 4×4 (which values the same skills if not the same way).  Also note that, compared to roto leagues (4×4 or 5×5), points leagues have a steeper value curve, so the most expensive players are not quite so expensive in roto. The biggest difference, of course, is that 5×5 values SB highly and this format does not. For 5×5, there are a ton of other rankings out there, including right here on FanGraphs. Make sure to note that redraft rankings are not the same as keeper rankings, and Ottoneu will be more similar to keeper or dynasty. Finally, while it won’t be a full ranking, I’ll be sharing my top tens at each position for 5×5 keeper leagues as part of the Keep or Kut podcast.
3. Projected P/G are the Basis but not the Ranking. On each table, you will see a projected P/G for each player. For this list, those are based on the Depth Charts projections as of 11/30. You’ll note, however, that I didn’t simply put the top projection first and then work down the list. A few things can cause me to break from the projections. Playing time and role, age and track record, future value and possible breakout potential are all factors that could cause me to move someone around. For example, Rowdy Tellez has a better projection than a number of players a tier above him, while Josh Bell is ahead of C.J. Cron.  The former is because I see a lot more risk in Tellez, due to his less impressive track record. The latter is because the way I expect you have to use Cron in fantasy limits his value relative to his overall projection.
4. One Position at a Time. Players are ranked for just one position at a time, and will only be ranked at positions where I think they might be/should be used in fantasy. Any player who qualifies at catcher or MI will be left off this list, but I am including OF and 3B. The reason is I found myself using 1B/3B and 1B/OF at first on occasion last year. Especially for teams in OPL, using multi-position 1B can be useful and productive.
5. N/A Means Not Enough Data. If the P/G column reads N/A that either means the projection doesn’t exist or the playing time was too small and I decided to ignore it.
6. Tiers are Pre-Inflation. In practice, this means these tiers are most applicable to first-year leagues, but you can also adjust for inflation for your league. If you expect 20% inflation in your league, the top tier at 1B becomes $42-$60.