First base is deep in talent this year, with five, more than likely going off the board in the first two rounds. There are a host of options right through to the end game. Pick your strategy and execute it. Jonathan Aranda is only 2B eligible, but that will change early into the 2023 season.
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR – Sometimes, we forget that he is only heading into his age-24 season. The best is yet to come!
- Pete Alonso, NYM – As safe a bet as any player in the game to produce a 40-100 season.
- Freddie Freeman, LAD – Freeman’s lowest OBP over the past seven seasons is .388. His lack of pure power is made up in runs scored, and he’ll even toss in an occasional stolen base.
- Matt Olson, ATL – As safe a bet as any player in the game to produce a 35-100 season.
- Paul Goldschmidt, STL – I know he’s the reigning NL MVP, but he’s also heading into his age-36 season. He’ll still be a force at first, but the “elite five” make for a tough crowd.
- Rhys Hoskins, PHI – In the past four full seasons, Hoskins has hit 30, 27, 29, and 34 bombs. If you’re looking for consistent 30-home run potential, he’s your guy. He’s also heading into his walk year. If you believe in that as a motivator, it’s motivation time.
- Vinnie Pasquantino, KCR – In 522 at-bats last year between Triple-A and KC, Pasquantino hit 28 home runs, drove in 96 runs, and posted a K/BB ratio of 73/75. There’s a reason why he’s vaulting up the charts in a rather spectacular fashion.
- Nathaniel Lowe, TEX – The solid 2021 morphed into an even better sophomore campaign. Mid-twenties power combined with 80+ RBI makes for an excellent mid-tier option at first base.
- Jose Abreu, HOU – Downshifting after a horrible year, his worst since coming to MLB, would seem appropriate, but a move to the high-powered Houston offense and visions of one more great year dance through our head.
- Christian Walker, ARZ – Walker will provide 30+ home runs on a young, improving team that should give him plenty of RBI opportunities. That’s a lot to like for a player going off the board in the ninth round.
- C.J. Cron, COL – If only he could play the full 162 games at Coors.
- Andrew Vaughn, CWS – Tony’s gone!! Life will be good……possibly very good. OF-84
- Ty France, SEA – France is solid across the board. When you’ve got Eugenio Suarez and now Teoscar Hernandez hitting behind you, it’s fair to expect an uptick in the 65 runs scored last year.
- Anthony Rizzo, NYY – 19-of-his-32 home runs came during hot streaks in April and June. In the words of the great Jerry Reed, “When you’re hot, you’re hot/When you’re not, you’re not.” A little more consistency would suit our fancy to a “t”.
- Josh Bell, CLE – If you believe in trends, Bell had strong seasons in 2017, 2019, and 2021. Escaping San Diego and that ugly second half last year and moving on to Guardians improves the odds of extending that streak.
- Rowdy Tellez, MIL – He’s not without his flaws, but as evident by the 35 home runs he slugged last year, raw power isn’t one of them.
- Ryan Mountcastle, BAL – The numbers put up by Mountcastle in 2022 were a virtual carbon copy of his breakout 2021 campaign, excepting the home runs. They dipped from 33 to 22. Unlucky or the new norm? How about a bit of both.
- Jose Miranda, MIN – Miranda is currently penciled in at third, and that’s where you’ll want to have him rostered. A solid debut should be improved upon in 2023. 3B-34
- Triston Casas, Bos – Let’s turn to Rich Wilson for his thoughts. “Long gone are the concerns about him making contact, as his approach and contact skills are excellent. His power will be more mid-20s home run with a chance to hit a bit more as he doesn’t sell out for pull-side power.”
- Seth Brown, OAK – Brown will hit for power and swipe a handful of bases, but he’s way too much of a free-swinger ever to produce a decent BA. That being said, don’t ignore that power/speed potential. He’s a good late pick to fill your CI slot and one of the few A’s worthy of our attention. OF-77
- Jake Cronenworth, SDP – Enjoy one last season with Cronenworth having 2B eligibility. The signing of Xander Bogaerts is cause for him to move to 1B full-time. 2B-147
- Josh Naylor, CLE – The 25-year-old Naylor found his way to the 20-home run mark for the first time last year, and it won’t be his last. As the lineup around him continues to improve, so will the counting stats.
- Luis Arraez, MIN – Put a .300+ BA and 85 runs in the bank, but the eight home runs he hit in 2022 will prove to be an outlier. 2B-41
- Brandon Drury, LAA – Drury went 28-87 with 87 runs scored and a solid .263 BA in 518 at-bats, split between the Padres and Reds. Can the 30-year-old duplicate those breakout numbers in 2023 as a member of the Angels? 2B-27, 3B-67
- Joey Meneses, WAS – As a 30-year-old rookie, Meneses hit 13 homers in a scant 222 at-bats. Now that he has finally broken the ice, playing time opps shouldn’t be a problem in Washington. OF-24
- Spencer Torkelson, DET – The top-prospect struggled through a dreadful rookie campaign, hitting .203 BA with eight home runs. He can’t be this bad two years in a row.
- Brandon Belt, TOR – We finally get the opportunity to see what Brandon Belt can do in a hitter’s park, and I believe we’ll be pleasantly surprised.
- Wilmer Flores, SFG – The Giants’ loss could, in fact prove also to be their gain. Full-time at-bats for Wilmer Flores at the hot corner is much better than fighting for playing time in a super-sub role. 2B-61, 3B-34
- Miguel Vargas, LAD – There is no doubt the skills possessed by the 23-year-old top prospect. The problem is finding the at-bats in a very deep and talented Dodgers lineup. It’s worth a late pick to find out how/if the Dodgers find him 400+ at-bats. They could be very good ones.
- Jared Walsh, LAA – The memories of that stellar 29-98 breakout campaign in 2021 faded quickly as Walsh struggled badly last year. Thoracic outlet syndrome was to blame, and he eventually went under the knife in September. Is there a bounce-back campaign in his future?
- DJ LeMahieu, NYY 2B-41, 3B-47
- Trey Mancini, CHC OF-31
- Joey Votto, CIN
- Carlos Santana, PIT
- Ji-Man Choi, PIT
- Luke Voit, FA
- Garrett Cooper, MIA
- Harold Ramirez, TBR OF-29
- Isaac Paredes, TBR 2B-43, 3B-50
- Dominic Smith, WAS
- Eric Hosmer, CHC
- Hunter Dozier, KCR 3B-27, OF-40
- Ryan Noda, OAK
- Nick Pratto, KCR
- Wil Myers, CIN OF-52
- LaMonte Wade, SFG OF-45
- Christian Bethancourt, TBR C-49
- Bobby Dalbec, BOS 3B-24
- Connor Joe, COL OF-64
- Cavan Biggio, TOR 2B-49
- Keston Hiura, MIL
- Matt Mervis, CHC
- Harold Castro, COL 3B-25
- Yuli Gurriel, FA
- Jesus Aguilar, FA
- Darin Ruf, NYM OF-37
- Mike Moustakas, FA 3B-25
- Miguel Sano, FA
- Matt Adams, WAS
- P.J. Higgins, ARZ C-34
- Alfonso Rivas, SDP
- Robert Perez Jr., SEA
- Colin Moran, SEA
