X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

2017 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: First Base (1B)

It's 'bout that time, eh chaps? The Winter Meetings have come and gone. With it, some of the biggest offseason dominoes have already fallen. The 2017 fantasy baseball draft board is beginning to come into focus. Now it's time to delve into player rankings. We'll continue with our 2017 first base fantasy baseball rankings for December.

This first round of rankings features picks from Kyle Bishop, Nick Mariano, Bill Dubiel, and me. I know I've had my initial lists in place since mid-October, and my colleagues here weren't too far behind me.

This year, we'll begin by presenting our rankings then share a few thoughts round table style.

Editor's note: Be sure to also check out our 2017 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. It's already loaded up with tons of great rankings articles and draft analysis. Aside from our tiered staff rankings for every position, we also go deep on MLB prospect rankings, impact rookies for 2017, and dynasty/keeper rankings as well. Bookmark the page, and win your drafts.

 

2017 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: First Base

Ranking Tier Player Brad Kyle Nick Bill Composite
1 1 Paul Goldschmidt 1 1 1 1 1
2 1 Miguel Cabrera 3 2 3 2 2.5
3 1 Anthony Rizzo 2 3 2 3 2.5
4 2 Joey Votto 4 4 4 4 4
5 2 Freddie Freeman 5 5 5 6 5.25
6 2 Edwin Encarnacion 6 6 7 5 6
7 2 Wil Myers 7 11 6 9 8.25
8 2 Hanley Ramirez 11 7 10 8 9
9 2 Chris Davis 8 9 9 10 9
10 2 Matt Carpenter 12 8 12 7 9.75
11 2 Jose Abreu 9 10 8 12 9.75
12 3 Carlos Santana 10 13 11 11 11.25
13 3 Adrian Gonzalez 14 14 14 13 13.75
14 3 Albert Pujols 18 12 17 14 15.25
15 3 Eric Hosmer 16 16 15 15 15.5
16 3 Brandon Belt 13 19 13 18 15.75
17 3 Victor Martinez 17 17 16 17 16.75
18 4 Greg Bird 22 15 19 16 18
19 4 Matt Holliday 19 24 18 19 20
20 4 Kendrys Morales 15 23 20 24 20.5
21 4 Lucas Duda 26 20 27 20 23.25
22 4 Mike Napoli 23 21 23 26 23.25
23 4 Chris Carter 24 25 24 21 23.5
24 5 Tommy Joseph 21 22 22 28 23.25
25 5 Brad Miller 20 27 21 30 24.5
26 5 C.J. Cron 28 26 29 23 26.5
27 5 Justin Bour 33 18 30 22 25.75
28 5 Josh Bell 27 28 28 27 27.5
29 5 Brandon Moss 25 29 25 32 27.75
30 5 Travis Shaw 38 39 38 28.75
31 5 Steve Pearce 29 31 31 25 29
32 5 Logan Morrison 40 40 39 29.75
33 6 Mitch Moreland 32 33 26 31 30.5
34 6 Jefry Marte 42 30 33 29 33.5
35 6 Adam Lind 31 35 35 33 33.5
36 6 Ryan Zimmerman 30 36 32 36 33.5
37 6 Joe Mauer 41 32 34 34 35.25
38 6 Matt Adams 34 38 36 35 35.75
39 6 Wilmer Flores 37 37 37 37 37
40 6 Byung-ho Park 35 34 40 40 37.25

 

Are there any picks you want to defend?

Brad: It would seem I'm the only one in the group who believes Morales will do big things while batting cleanup for an actually productive offense in a division littered with actual hitter friendly parks. Sure, the Jays lineup won't be the same without Encarnacion and Bautista, but it's still an above average offense. More importantly, it's a much better situation for Morales who should have no problem repeating 30 home runs and could reach 100 RBI. He's boring, old, low risk, and low cost.

Kyle: I'm surprised to be the optimist on Pujols. He's certainly not what he used to be, but the veteran still has life in his bat. Over the past three seasons, he's fourth in homers, seventh in runs scored, and second in RBI among first basemen. He's even top 10 in stolen bases. He doesn't hit for average anymore, but with those counting stats, he doesn't really need to.

I'm also the Debbie Downer on Myers. Questions about his health, his lousy second half, and skepticism about him running that much again are enough for me to push him outside the top 10.

Nick: The highest one that jumps out to me is Brandon Belt, who was a solid OBP asset but nothing special in 5x5 leagues in 2016. At first glance, it looks like he's reached a clear plateau. But his selectivity at the plate didn't lead to a huge drop in hard-hit rate (still 36.4% from 39.8%), yet an 8.1% rise in fly-ball rate was mitigated by an uncharacteristically low 9.3% HR/FB rate. Even if it was just 2014's 13.6%, you'd feel better here. I'm feeling alright about his chances here.

Bill: I love Matt Carpenter at any position, so perhaps that's affecting my judgment here...nah, sticking by it. Carpenter missed some time last year, but still put up a very solid season (.271-21-68). It certainly appears that his power-for-average swap is going to stick, so we'll probably never see that .318 batting average from 2013 again. However, if he can get back to playing 150+ games, we could definitely see him threaten 30 homers and get the batting average back above .280. That's a rare power/average combo at the first base position (outside of the top four or five).

 

Which picks by others look overly bullish/pessimistic?

Brad: I'll point out Bill's ranking of Joseph only because it matches what I expected of the consensus. I thought I'd be high man on the totem pole, but Kyle and Nick agreed he's a solid late-round option in 12 team leagues with a corner infield slot. Bill sees him as the guy you grab off waivers when somebody blows a knee.

Kyle: Belt is the epitome of "better IRL than in fantasy," and I honestly have no idea why Brad and Nick have him ranked as highly as they do. He's never hit .290, never hit 20 home runs, his modest run production totals last year (77 runs, 82 RBI) were both career bests, and he was 0-for-4 in stolen base attempts. Oh, and he's entering his age-29 season and has played more than 150 games only once in six seasons. Does his home park hurt his numbers? Sure, but last I checked, the Giants don't plan to trade him. His awesome OBP means nothing in a standard league.

Nick: Kyle having Holliday down at #24 while the rest of us sit in the #18-19 range seems out of place, as his move to the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium where he can stay fresh at DH should keep that bat alive. He's had some durability concerns flare up over the last two years, but New York has finally learned how to treat their veteran bats.

Also Bill's #30 ranking for Brad Miller feels way too low. I know he doubled his HR/FB rate from 10.3% to 20.4%, but I believe some of that growth is genuine. He could finally find a groove in an everyday role in Tampa, and 20 homers with a few steals while regular batting cleanup should be worth more than #30.

Bill: Brad looks a bit too low on Greg Bird for my liking. He has a clear path to the first base job in New York, although he and Matt Holliday will likely swap on and off a bit at 1B/DH for what it's worth. In 2015, Bird hit 11 homers and knocked in 31 RBI in just 46 games, so the power is legit. He has a career .222 ISO across all levels, and now that he's back to full health he has a monster ceiling. 40 homers this year is probably out of the question, but I'm optimistically (and perhaps naively) projecting him for 30 bombs, 80+ RBI and around a .260 batting average--your prototypical first baseman. I'd take him on draft day over guys like Brad Miller and Tommy Joseph for sure.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Austin Reaves7 mins ago

Ready To Go For Game 1
NFL9 mins ago

Bills Release Armani Rogers, Branson Deen
Luka Dončić13 mins ago

Luka Doncic Removed From Injury Report
Brandon Young17 mins ago

Set To Make MLB Debut On Saturday
LeBron James21 mins ago

Listed As Probable For Game 1
Ben Sheppard27 mins ago

Probable For Saturday's Game 1
Jacob Lopez28 mins ago

Recalled From Triple-A
NFL30 mins ago

Kolton Miller Absent From Raiders' Voluntary Offseason Program
Kevin Durant33 mins ago

To Houston Already Losing Steam
Matt Canterino45 mins ago

Twins Designate Matt Canterino For Assignment
Lauri Markkanen47 mins ago

Wants To Stay With The Jazz
NFL54 mins ago

Ross Blacklock Let Go By New York
Mickey Gasper55 mins ago

Sent To Triple-A St. Paul
Bennedict Mathurin1 hour ago

Expected To Play In Game 1 Saturday
Nicky Lopez1 hour ago

Designated For Assignment
Josh Smith1 hour ago

Still Out Of Lineup Friday Night
Pascal Siakam1 hour ago

Available For Playoff Opener
Zach Neto1 hour ago

Reinstated From Injury List, Will Make Season Debut Friday
Tyrese Haliburton1 hour ago

Returning From Two-Game Absence Saturday
Cade Cunningham1 hour ago

Available For Game 1 Against Knicks
Shohei Ohtani1 hour ago

Out Of Friday's Lineup For Birth Of First Child
Josh Hart2 hours ago

Back In Knicks Lineup Saturday
Eugenio Suárez2 hours ago

Eugenio Suarez Hits Grand Slam In Friday Afternoon's Loss
OG Anunoby2 hours ago

Good To Go For Game 1
Ian Happ2 hours ago

Hits Grand Slam In Massive Day At The Plate
Jalen Brunson2 hours ago

Available For Saturday's Game 1
Jazz Chisholm Jr.2 hours ago

Suspended For One Game, Will Appeal And Is Playing Friday
Karl-Anthony Towns2 hours ago

Returning To Action Saturday
Kyle Tucker2 hours ago

Hits Go-Ahead Homer In Cubs Win
Pelle Larsson2 hours ago

Good To Go Friday
Nikola Jović2 hours ago

Nikola Jovic Available Friday
Carson Kelly2 hours ago

Crushes Two Homers In Crazy Cubs Win
Trae Young2 hours ago

Officially Active On Friday
Giannis Antetokounmpo2 hours ago

Not On Game 1 Injury Report
NFL2 hours ago

Raiders Considering Drafting A Quarterback
Damian Lillard2 hours ago

Officially Out For Game 1
Irv Smith2 hours ago

Sticking With Texans
Ryan Lindgren3 hours ago

Set To Return Saturday
NFL3 hours ago

Texans Expected To Draft Wide Receivers
Greg Dortch3 hours ago

Returning To Cardinals
Josh Manson3 hours ago

Available For Game 1
Mark Andrews3 hours ago

Could Be Traded Soon
Ondrej Palat3 hours ago

To Return For Start Of Playoffs
David Savard3 hours ago

Will Retire After Playoffs
Gavin Sheets3 hours ago

In Padres Lineup Against Astros
NFL3 hours ago

Raiders, Falcons Could Have Interest In Jalen Ramsey
Robert Thomas3 hours ago

Good To Go Saturday
Shea Langeliers3 hours ago

Back In Lineup On Friday
Matthew Tkachuk3 hours ago

Expected To Return For Game 1
3 hours ago

Raiders Are High On Ashton Jeanty
Alex Verdugo3 hours ago

Hitting Leadoff In Season Debut On Friday
Jason Robertson3 hours ago

Considered Week-To-Week
Rome Odunze4 hours ago

To Hopefully Get More Involved
Dylan Moore4 hours ago

Not In Lineup On Friday
NFL4 hours ago

Dolphins Could Draft A Quarterback
Parker Meadows4 hours ago

Cleared To Begin Throwing Program
James Cook4 hours ago

Could Stay Away From Voluntary Workouts
Chandler Simpson4 hours ago

Called Up By Rays
Alex Bregman5 hours ago

Back From Paternity Leave
Noah Davis5 hours ago

Dodgers Recall Noah Davis From Triple-A
Pelle Larsson8 hours ago

Upgraded To Probable Against Hawks
Kevin Love8 hours ago

Away From The Team For Personal Reasons
Leon Draisaitl11 hours ago

Wins First Rocket Richard Trophy
Nikita Kucherov11 hours ago

Bags Third Art Ross Trophy
Bryan Rust11 hours ago

Scores Twice In Season-Ending Win
Igor Shesterkin12 hours ago

Shuts Out Lightning With 27 Saves
Dylan Cozens12 hours ago

Picks Up Three Points In Regular-Season Finale
Matvei Michkov12 hours ago

Caps Off Rookie Campaign With Three-Point Effort
Brady Tkachuk12 hours ago

Makes Early Exit For Precautionary Reasons
Jake Tonges20 hours ago

Signs Exclusive-Rights Tender
Denver Broncos20 hours ago

Broncos To Focus On RB Position In Next Week's Draft
Drew Lock20 hours ago

Sam Howell, Drew Lock Expected To Compete For Backup Job
New York Giants21 hours ago

Giants Leaning Toward Taking Best Player Available At No. 3
New Orleans Saints21 hours ago

Ryan Ramczyk Announces His Retirement
Buffalo Bills21 hours ago

Tre'Davious White Reunites With Buffalo
Aaron Rodgers21 hours ago

Willing To Play For $10 Million A Year
Jakob Chychrun1 day ago

Returns Against Penguins
Rasmus Andersson1 day ago

Out Against Kings
Jonathan Huberdeau1 day ago

Sits Out Regular-Season Finale
Ryan Pulock1 day ago

Out On Thursday
Jake Sanderson1 day ago

Back In Action Thursday
Thomas Chabot1 day ago

To Be Rested Against Hurricanes
Claude Giroux1 day ago

Active On Thursday
Dallas Cowboys1 day ago

Cowboys Add Hakeem Adeniji To Offensive-Line Room
Lucas Glover2 days ago

Looks To Rebound After Poor Performance
Daniel Berger2 days ago

Looking To Continue Solid Play At RBC
Sepp Straka2 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back At RBC
Justin Thomas2 days ago

Looking To Shake Off Poor Masters At RBC Heritage
Xander Schauffele2 days ago

Still Looking For Year's First Win At RBC Heritage
Maverick McNealy2 days ago

Is An Intriguing Play At RBC Heritage
Shane Lowry2 days ago

Looks To Shake Off Poor Masters Sunday At RBC Heritage
Will Zalatoris2 days ago

Eyes A Bounce-Back At RBC Heritage
Gary Woodland2 days ago

Could Add Some Surprise At Hilton Head
Sam Burns2 days ago

Hoping For Better Times At RBC Heritage
Sahith Theegala2 days ago

Still Trying To Put It All Together
Aaron Rai3 days ago

Might Be That Guy For Hilton Head
Robert MacIntyre3 days ago

All Or Nothing At RBC Heritage
Tom Hoge3 days ago

Still Playing Solid Heading To Hilton Head
Nick Dunlap3 days ago

Continues To Have Rough Stretch
Keegan Bradley3 days ago

Looks To Move On From Masters Performance
Matt Fitzpatrick3 days ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Option At RBC Heritage
Patrick Cantlay3 days ago

A Strong Play At RBC Heritage
Jordan Spieth3 days ago

Targets Another Strong RBC Heritage Showing
Collin Morikawa3 days ago

Eyeing Victory At RBC Heritage
Max Homa3 days ago

Breaks Through At The Masters
Alexander Volkanovski4 days ago

Reclaims Featherweight Title
Diego Lopes4 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 314
Paddy Pimblett4 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Michael Chandler4 days ago

Suffers TKO Loss
MMA4 days ago

Patricio Freire Gets Dominated In His UFC Debut
Yair Rodriguez4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Bryce Mitchell4 days ago

Gets Submitted At UFC 314
Jean Silva4 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC 314
Dominick Reyes4 days ago

Wins Third Fight In A Row
Austin Dillon4 days ago

Nabs His First Top-10 Finish Of The 2025 Season At Bristol
Ryan Blaney4 days ago

Bold Strategies Fall Flat, Still Musters A Top-Five Finish At Bristol
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Finishes In The Top 10 After Falling Back Midway At Bristol
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Earns His First Top-Five Finish Of The 2025 Season At Bristol
Chase Briscoe4 days ago

Quietly Scores First Career Top-Five Finish At Bristol
William Byron5 days ago

Denny Hamlin Cuts Into William Byron's Points Lead
William Byron5 days ago

Makes Best Of His Mediocre Qualifying Run With Sixth-Place Finish
Alex Bowman5 days ago

Despite Engine Failure, Alex Bowman's Improved Speed Looks Promising
NASCAR5 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Enters Playoff Picture With Surprise Bristol Top-10 Finish
Kyle Larson5 days ago

Will Compete For The Win At Bristol
Chase Elliott6 days ago

Is One Of The More Favorable DFS Options Available For Bristol
William Byron6 days ago

Is A Solid DFS Option For Bristol Lineups
Tyler Reddick6 days ago

Could Tyler Reddick Be A Sneaky DFS Option For Bristol?
NASCAR6 days ago

Is Bubba Wallace Worth Rostering For Bristol This Week?
Ross Chastain6 days ago

Could Ross Chastain Be A Worthy DFS Choice For Bristol?
Carson Hocevar6 days ago

Is Carson Hocevar Worth Rostering For Bristol DFS Lineups?
NASCAR6 days ago

Should Fantasy Managers Avoid Rostering A.J. Allmendinger In DFS For Bristol?
Ryan Preece6 days ago

Is Ryan Preece Worth Rostering For Bristol Lineups?
Austin Dillon6 days ago

May Be One Of The Top Value Options For Bristol DFS This Week
Noah Gragson6 days ago

Should DFS Players Consider Noah Gragson For Bristol Lineups?
Riley Herbst6 days ago

Is In Play For Bristol DFS Lineups
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF