Top 30 First Basemen for 2020

First base looked a bit thin during draft season and despite the emergence of some guys, I don’t think much changed. There is a thick middle tier that gives a perception of depth, but 1B is often deep in premium talent so this is definitely a new landscape. If you don’t one of the top 10 or so, you’re probably better off waiting as the difference between the 11th and 20th guy isn’t that stark.

One factor regarding this relative dearth of elites is that some multi-positional guys that would’ve never been considered at 1B with positions like 2B, 3B, or OF on their card are now looking better at this position. Except catcher. I’m still not even ranking guys like Yasmani Grandal at 1B because it just doesn’t make any sense to use him anywhere but C.

Let’s get into the list. I went 30 deep and then listed a bunch of honorable mentions. Let me know if I forgot anyone or if you think someone belongs much higher or much lower than where I have them right now.

2020 Top 30 First Basemen
Rk Player Comment
1 Freddie Freeman One of the most consistent superstars in the game
2 Cody Bellinger Better than Freef this yr, but ’19 is first over .270 AVG
3 Pete Alonso Utterly insane rookie season; AVG could regress but 40-HR lock
4 Paul Goldschmidt Down season was still pretty useful; could see ’20 rebound
5 Max Muncy Fully backed his breakout & still has triple elig. (1B/2B/3B)
6 Anthony Rizzo Excellent K/BB keeps AVG floor very high
7 Matt Olson Hamate didn’t hamper pwr; could’ve hit 40 HR w/full season
8 Josh Bell Impressive 116 RBI/94 R despite being stuck on PIT
9 Joey Gallo Can he keep AVG gains w/38% K & .368 BABIP? — ed. note: OF-only in ’20
10 DJ LeMahieu Put up legit 1B numbers, but also quals at 2B and 3B
11 Luke Voit .288/.389/.531, 34 HR, 91 R & RBI in 614 PA since ’18
12 Carlos Santana Deserved better AVG in previous yrs; love him even at age-34
13 Jose Abreu Quietly back on track after small ’18 dip; FA this winter
14 Rhys Hoskins Still think he can hit 40 HR, but has to fall below comparables
15 Edwin Encarnación Keeps crushing thru his mid-30s; has $20mil team option
16 Ryan McMahon Has rallied w/.859 OPS, 13 HR, 4 SB since July 1st
17 Hunter Dozier Could wind up with .290/30/90 in breakout season
18 Yuli Gurriel Difficult to price insane pwr breakout for 36-year old
19 Trey Mancini Pwr is consistent, BABIP drives bottom line; 1B/OF elig.
20 Christian Walker Seas. pace of .760 OPS, 27 HR, 8 SB even if you lop off big April
21 Eric Hosmer Boringly useful, espec. If you’re pwr-heavy elsewhere on roster
22 Joey Votto So sad to type this… poor man’s Eric Hosmer!?
23 Joc Pederson Big pop, but capped PT curbs R/RBI; has 1B/OF elig.
24 Garrett Cooper Strong AVG covers mediocre pwr output, plus has OF elig.
25 Nate Lowe Performed every time he was up, but TB rarely guarantees PT
26 Michael Chavis Solid pwr option will have 1B/2B eligibility
27 Renato Núñez Known lefty-destroyer had capable season vR to drive 30 HR yr
28 Danny Santana Dig the pwr/spd, but 30% K & 4% BB rates are tough to swallow
29 Mark Canha Will the 31-year old have a full-time role next year?
30 Daniel Murphy Coors didn’t help as expected, health could foster ’20 rebound





Paul is the Editor of Rotographs and Content Director for OOTP Perfect Team. Follow Paul on Twitter @sporer and on Twitch at sporer.

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crowthevokmember since 2017
5 years ago

Gallo will be OF only next year.