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Welcome back RotoBallers. With the MLB season just a few short weeks a way, it's time to update our rankings and analysis to account for injuries, free agent signings, spring training risers/fallers and more. We kick off our updated March rankings today with the first base position.
Bill Dubiel breaks down each tier and provides analysis for which players might be overvalued or undervalued in fantasy baseball drafts. The position is very strong at the top and provides incredible depth, particularly in the power department. Many of the names remain the same, but some of the regulars have fallen and been replaced with younger talent. Let's take a look.
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Updated Head-to-Head Points League Rankings: First Base
| Ranking | Tier | Player Name | Pos | Auction $ |
| 1 | 1 | Paul Goldschmidt | 1B | 39 |
| 2 | 1 | Joey Votto | 1B | 35 |
| 3 | 2 | Anthony Rizzo | 1B/2B | 33 |
| 4 | 2 | Freddie Freeman | 1B/3B | 32 |
| 5 | 2 | Cody Bellinger | 1B/OF | 27 |
| 6 | 2 | Jose Abreu | 1B | 27 |
| 7 | 2 | Edwin Encarnacion | 1B | 24 |
| 8 | 2 | Rhys Hoskins | 1B/OF | 21 |
| 9 | 3 | Wil Myers | 1B | 19 |
| 10 | 3 | Buster Posey | C/1B | 17 |
| 11 | 3 | Miguel Cabrera | 1B | 17 |
| 12 | 3 | Eric Hosmer | 1B | 17 |
| 13 | 3 | Justin Smoak | 1B | 16 |
| 14 | 3 | Ryan Zimmerman | 1B | 15 |
| 15 | 3 | Matt Carpenter | 1B/2B/3B | 15 |
| 16 | 4 | Matt Olson | OF/1B | 13 |
| 17 | 4 | Justin Bour | 1B | 10 |
| 18 | 4 | Carlos Santana | 1B | 9 |
| 19 | 4 | Ian Desmond | OF/1B | 9 |
| 20 | 4 | Josh Bell | 1B | 9 |
| 21 | 4 | Jay Bruce | OF/1B | 8 |
| 22 | 4 | Greg Bird | 1B | 8 |
| 23 | 4 | Joey Gallo | 3B/1B/OF | 8 |
| 24 | 4 | Marwin Gonzalez | 1B/2B/3B/SS/OF | 6 |
| 25 | 5 | Ryan McMahon | 1B/3B | 4 |
| 26 | 5 | Chris Davis | 1B | 4 |
| 27 | 5 | Eric Thames | 1B/OF | 3 |
| 28 | 5 | Yulieski Gurriel | 1B | 3 |
| 29 | 5 | Trey Mancini | 1B/OF | 3 |
| 30 | 5 | Hanley Ramirez | 1B | 2 |
| 31 | 5 | Kendrys Morales | 1B | 2 |
| 32 | 6 | Ryon Healy | 3B/1B | 2 |
| 33 | 6 | Albert Pujols | 1B | 2 |
| 34 | 6 | Logan Morrison | 1B | 1 |
| 35 | 6 | Yonder Alonso | 1B | 1 |
| 36 | 6 | Brandon Belt | 1B/OF | 1 |
| 37 | 6 | C.J. Cron | 1B | 1 |
| 38 | 6 | Colin Moran | 3B/1B | 1 |
| 39 | 6 | Mark Reynolds | 1B | 1 |
| 40 | 6 | Lucas Duda | 1B | 1 |
| 41 | 6 | Jedd Gyorko | 1B/3B | 1 |
| 42 | 6 | Victor Martinez | 1B | 1 |
| 43 | 6 | Jose Martinez | OF/1B | 1 |
| 44 | 7 | Mitch Moreland | 1B | 1 |
| 45 | 7 | Tommy Joseph | 1B | 1 |
| 46 | 7 | A.J. Reed | 1B | 1 |
| 47 | 7 | Adrian Gonzalez | 1B | 1 |
| 48 | 7 | Joe Mauer | 1B | 1 |
| 49 | 7 | Dan Vogelbach | 1B | 1 |
| 50 | 7 | David Freese | 1B/3B | 1 |
| 51 | 7 | Mike Napoli | 1B | 1 |
| 52 | 7 | Jake Bauers | 1B/OF | 1 |
| 53 | 7 | Kennys Vargas | 1B | 1 |
| 54 | 7 | Jefry Marte | 1B/OF | 1 |
| 55 | 7 | Matt Adams | 1B | 1 |
| 56 | 7 | Matt Holliday | 1B/OF | 1 |
| 57 | 7 | Adam Lind | 1B | 1 |
| 58 | 7 | Danny Valencia | 1B/3B/OF | 1 |
| 59 | 7 | Dominic Smith | 1B | 1 |
Tier 1
These are your studs, and I agree with the order here. Goldschmidt is still a top five pick in my eyes despite the various and sundry concerns about the humidor in Arizona and a steadily dropping steal total. Votto is just so darn consistent, you can be happy with him at pick 13 or later in my eyes. Rizzo and Freeman are bona fide studs and likely still fall inside the top 20 picks for me.
Tier 2
I am lower on Rhys Hoskins than most, simply because we saw so very little of him in 2017. The cracks started to show in September for the rookie, as he hit just .220 over the final month of the season and struck out like a fiend (35.2% K-rate). This is enough to make sure that I don't end up with him in most drafts--there will be someone willing to take him in the 3rd-5th round, whereas I'll take him no earlier than the 7th.
Tier 3
I still think there is more left in the tank for Miguel Cabrera. He dealt with injuries on-and-off all through last season, and if he's 100% healthy he is still capable of a 30-homer, .300-BA season. I'm also a big fan of Matt Carpenter this season (like every season). He's a lock for 20 homers and I think a .265 BA with 90 runs and 90 RBI. For the record, I don't think Ryan Zimmerman comes anywhere near the numbers he put up last season, but he is still hitting in the meat of a very good lineup and will get his RBI if he stays healthy.
Tier 4
Ian Desmond is in a great situation in Colorado, and while the steals might not be there for another 20/20 season, the boost he should get from a full season at Coors makes him a great option if you want to wait on first base. The multi-positional eligibility is a nice little bonus as well. Greg Bird is a huge question mark headed into this season, as we've seen flashes of excellence along with last year's regular season awfulness/injury. Heading into 2018 fully healthy, Bird should hit behind arguably the best 1-5 lineup in baseball, so he will have plenty of opportunities to prove his worth. I'm taking a flier on him in as many leagues as possible.
Tier 5
I am way higher on Yuli Gurriel than many of my contemporaries, for the same reason I'm intrigued in Bird. He'll be hitting towards the end of what could very well be the best lineup in all of baseball, and we've seen that he's capable of excellence. He's a very interesting late-round flier when you're building up your depth with a ceiling for much more. I can't stand Chris Davis and his 4 billion (approximately) K's, so I'm low, low, low on him in 2018.
Tier 6
This entire tier is full of guys who were once stars and are now more or less just there for the power numbers they bring to the table (Morales, Pujols, Ramirez, Belt). I'm avoiding almost everyone in this group--if you've waited this long on 1B or a backup 1B, why not wait a little longer.
Tier 7
Mark Reynolds very quietly had a great 2017 for the Rockies (30 HR, 97 RBI), and I'll be taking a flier if he does in fact sign there again. At this point it remains to be seen whether or not the Rockies give Ryan McMahon a shot at the everyday first baseman job, but if Reynolds does return he should provide some cheap power as a backup in your fantasy lineup.
Tier 8
Very little to see here. Waiting for Dominic Smith to emerge could take a little bit, as he's likely headed back to AAA (and probably was even before he suffered a quad strain). A similar story with Jake Bauers--we'll probably see him with the Rays at some point in 2018, but he's going to start the year in AAA.
