Spring Training is upon us, and that means it’s time to ramp up our preparation for our 2020 Fantasy Baseball Drafts. Let’s keep our “official” rankings on the site rolling, with even deeper rankings and more in-depth analysis available via our draft guide (click here for information on ordering the guide for just $8.25), with the Top 15 First Basemen. Who are the players worth targeting? Who could surprise? Who is destined to disappoint?
Let’s answer all of these questions and more as we get to the rankings:
| Rank | Player | Team | Quick Thoughts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1) | Jose Altuve | Houston Astros | Altuve is coming off a monster season and remains the elite at 2B, though the gap has closed considerably and you have to wonder if he's closer to his 1st half production (.262 with 10 HR) as opposed to the second (21 HR). He also has progressively started running less (17 SB) and if the power regresses so will his overall value. He opens the year atop the rankings, but that doesn't mean he's worth the price tag. |
| 2) | Max Muncy | Los Angeles Dodgers | Those who believed that 2018 was an aberration were quickly proven wrong and the positional flexibility along with his ability to produce against both RHP and LHP adds to the appeal. |
| 3) | Gleyber Torres | New York Yankees | Torres' 2019 "breakout" was more due to a spike in his power than anything, as the underlying metrics remained relatively unchanged. There are going to be questions about his approach (13.2% SwStr%, 35.1% O-Swing%) and concern that the power surge creates bad habits moving forward (like a pull heavy approach). |
| 4) | Ketel Marte | Arizona Diamondbacks | Marte erupted in '19, hitting .329 with 32 HR, 92 RBI, 97 R and 10 SB. It's possible his power is closer to the second half rate (12 HR) and if he's atop the order the RBI could fall, but with positional flexibility he's truly emerged. |
| 5) | Whit Merrifield | Kansas City Royals | Merrifield is going to continue to hold value, but he's not a significant source of power and his stolen base total fell dramatically (45 in '18 to 20 in '19). At his age will the stolen bases return to the elite levels? That'll be something to watch, though his production in the other categories (.300ish hitter with enough HR and ability to score R) keeps him as a good play. |
| 6) | Eduardo Escobar | Arizona Diamondbacks | He built on his 2018 breakout, hitting .272 with 35 HR and 118 RBI in '19. He also has some red flags, which helped lead to a .236 AVG in the second half. Even if he hit "just" .260ish with 30 HR, would anyone complain? |
| 7) | Mike Moustakas | Cincinnati Reds | The landing spot may have been surprising, but having proven he can handle second base it's actually a good fit on paper. The power is obvious and playing half his games in Cincinnati should nearly ensure of 30/90 season, even it if comes with a poor average. |
| 8) | Keston Hiura | Milwaukee Brewers | The struggles of Travis Shaw (as well injuries) led to an opportunity for Hiura and he took advantage (.303 with 19 HR over 314 AB). He did show strikeout issues (17.5% SwStr% led to a 30.7% strikeout rate) and he won't maintain a .402 BABIP. There's a lot of potential, but he needs to make some adjustments if he wants to fully realize it (and while it may happen, it may not happen as soon as 2020). |
| 9) | Ozzie Albies | Atlanta Braves | There's no questioning the potential of Albies, and while he's coming off a productive season there are enough questions to suppress his spot on the rankings slightly. He has struggled to make consistent contact, even against "hard" pitches (11.14% Whiff%), and he takes a pull heavy approach for a player without top end power (20.7% Oppo%). |
| 10) | D.J. LeMahieu | New York Yankees | Who would've thought getting out of Coors Field would lead to a spike in production (.327, 26 HR, 102 RBI, 109 R)? Keep in mind that he hit 7 HR on the road and a 26.2% fly ball rate hints towards a regression. |
| 11) | Jeff McNeil | New York Mets | Did McNeil add power due to the general surge around the game or was it actual development? He obviously can hit, but his approach does bring questions (41.7% O-Swing%) and his strikeout rate and AVG could both regress. He hit .276 in the second half and without much speed and only solid power that won't look as attractive. |
| 12) | Jonathan Villar | Baltimore Orioles | Throughout the years we've seen the good and the bad from Villar, but in '19 it was all good (.274 with 24 HR and 40 SB). The key is going to be maintaining the average (he hit .259 in the first half), which will allow him to continue contributing both R and SB. |
| 13) | Cavan Biggio | Toronto Blue Jays | His debut was overshadowed by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a poor AVG, but he showed power (16 HR) and speed (14 SB) as well as an impressive approach (8.7% SwStr%, 15.8% O-Swing%). He may be more attractive in OBP formats, but there's potential to emerge in all formats. |
| 14) | Garret Hampson | Colorado Rockies | It was one big month (.318 with 5 HR and 9 SB in September), but is that enough to earn him a starting spot? If he was guaranteed regular playing time he'd be a Top 10 option with his SB potential. |
| 15) | Robinson Cano | New York Mets | Injuries cost Cano in 2019, with his first season with the Mets having to be considered a disaster. He did show signs of turning things around, and if he can stay healthy there's a good chance he at least delivers a productive, usable season. |
Sources – Fangraphs, Brooks Baseball
Make sure to check out all of our 2020 preseason rankings:
| Position | Last Updated |
|---|---|
| Catchers | 02/10/20 |
| First Basemen | 02/13/20 |
| Second Basemen | 02/18/20 |
| Third Basemen | 02/21/20 |
| Shortstops | 02/24/20 |
| Outfielders | 03/06/20 |
| Starting Pitchers | 03/09/20 |
| Relief Pitchers | 03/03/20 |
villar..marlin
Thanks, just a typo.
Where do rank Wong
He’s just outside the Top 25 honestly. With Tommy Edman in the mix, there’s a bit of a concern in regards to AB
Two questions…. no Lux?
And if you had to choose A keeper. W. Contreras or Hoskins?
1) Luxjust missed, and part of it is the risk of lost playing time.
2) Hoskins for me