Boppers. Mashers. Sluggers. It's another installment of our MLB positional rankings and today, we're breaking out the big bats. It's time to talk about first base—a position where if you can hit, that's pretty much all that matters.
The current crop of MLB first basemen is an exceptionally fun group—longtime superstars, guys with 50-homer seasons, breakthrough vets and a couple young maulers. There's sure to be heated debate, so let's get right to the juicy stuff!
Just Missed: Josh Naylor, Rhys Hoskins, Anthony Rizzo
Somehow it feels unfair to leave all three of these guys off the list. Naylor had 97 RBI in just 121 games last year. Hoskins missed the whole year, but has been the model of consistency (video via MLB on YouTube) throughout his career. And Rizzo looked to be having a resurgence in his 30's before a concussion derailed his 2023 season. It's just a stacked position right now, so much so that another guy with a strong case for inclusion, Brandon Belt, can't even find a team to play for!
10. Nathaniel Lowe, Rangers
There's a case to be made that 2023 was something of a down year for Lowe, who dipped from a 139 OPS+ the year before to a 111. As one of just five players on the World Series roster who suffered through the Rangers' 196 losses in '21 and '22, it's easy to argue that Lowe may have needed some time to adjust to the limelight—especially with postseason struggles taken into account. And if he can get back into the high 20's for home runs, he'll be in contention for an AL Silver Slugger award.
9. Christian Walker, Diamondbacks
Walker has a phenomenal baseball backstory, having been DFA'd by the Orioles in 2017 and only truly breaking out as a 31-year-old in 2022. With 69 homers in the past two seasons (not to mention a pair of Gold Gloves), Walker has been a true catalyst of the upstart D-Backs' offense. It's only his limited on-base potential that keeps him anchored in the bottom half of the MLB top ten.
8. Triston Casas, Red Sox
Ronald Acuña Jr. Shohei Ohtani. Mookie Betts. Matt Olson. And Triston Casas. Behold… the five best hitters in MLB post-2023 All-Star break, by both OPS+ and wOBA.
Now, that doesn't mean Casas has fully arrived as one of the game's premier hitters (remember, he ended May with a .193 batting average), but he's well on his way. He's flashed jaw-dropping opposite field power and he's proven to have elite plate discipline skills for a young power hitter. Even at this loaded position, there's a good chance Casas could be much, much higher on this list come next spring.
7. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
Vladito's very existence throws an enormous wrench into this entire list. In 2021, the 22-year old led all of MLB in homers, runs and total bases and finished second in MVP only because of that Ohtani guy. Yet last season, he had a .716 home OPS and finished outside the top 200 in WAR. So what gives? There's an entire article to be written on that topic, but we'll save it for another day. For now, we'll just awkwardly place him in the seven-spot and move along.
6. Pete Alonso, Mets
The Polar Bear could rightfully be miffed about his position on the list—after all, he's never hit less than 37 home runs in a regulation-length MLB season. His counting stats weren't up to his usual standard last season, but the peripherals were a lot better, and few players hit the ball as hard, as consistently, as Alonso does. In a contract year, there's ample opportunity for Alonso to not only reassert himself as an upper echelon first baseman, but to make himself a boatload of money to boot.
5. Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals
If you thought the previous two players' rankings were unfair, how about this placement for the guy that's just 16 months removed from being named NL MVP? Goldschmidt may be 36 and coming off his worst year since 2011, but c'mon… he's still Paul Goldschmidt. In the very possible event the Cardinals prove their last place finish in 2023 was a true aberration, Goldy will likely be eager to contribute to a playoff push and avoid last season's second half slump.
4. Yandy Díaz, Rays
If you didn't know Yandy Díaz was going to be a problem in 2023, you must not have been obsessively combing through Baseball Savant data looking for breakout stars (don't worry, this is a joke, not an admonishment). But he was indeed a BIG problem for opposing pitchers, translating his quality contact metrics from the year before into real power numbers while simultaneously claiming an AL batting crown. There aren't many first basemen who can hit leadoff and that's because there aren't many first basemen with the complete offensive profile Diaz brings to the table. The breakout was very, very real.
3. Bryce Harper, Phillies
In yet another demonstration of the outlandish depth on this list, here we see a two-time MVP entering his age-31 season slotting into the bronze medal position. The Phils are hoping for a vintage season from full-time first baseman Harper, though that vision has already hit a bit of a snag with preseason back stiffness. Should he spend the entire season hitting for power, as he did from August through October, Harper will once again be in contention for baseball's top honor.
2. Matt Olson, Braves
The Boston/Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves have been around since before MLB existed, and no one in their team's 153-year history has hit as many home runs as Olson did in 2023. That very much includes Hank Aaron, who spent nearly four decades as MLB's all-time home run king. Yet, as a marker of just how stacked the National League was a season ago, Olson finished fourth in MVP voting, one spot behind the guy we're about to talk about. The world of MLB accolades may be cruel to him, but the man can still absolutely rake.
1. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers
Freeman has missed a grand total of 11 of his teams' baseball games since the start of 2018 and put up a 148 OPS+ in that time span. He's as much of a lock to hit .300 as exists in the modern game and even if his home run totals don't match some of his fellow first basemen, you can still contribute to a heck of a lot of wins by leading the big leagues in doubles. Still just 34, Freeman is building a surefire Hall of Fame resume that he'd love to add a full-season MVP to at some point. And all he has to do is keep hitting like he has for the past half decade to throw his hat into the ring once more.
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