Fantasy Baseball Draftable First Basemen: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Freddie Freeman, Bryce Harper, Pete Alonso and More

First base is the easiest fantasy position to fill. Big mashers who need to be in the lineup but can't play anywhere else often occupy first base; it's a rule in beer league softball, and it's a rule in MLB. That means more guys who play at an acceptable fantasy level are available at 1B than any other position (not including DH, which many teams treat as a revolving spot).

That leads me to favor the strategy of waiting at first base rather than jumping on one of the guys at the top. There's nothing wrong with getting one of the top players; Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is probably going to be one of the best fantasy players at any position. It follows the same logic as skipping the top quarterbacks in fantasy football, though: more QBs score at or near a fantasy starter level, so it's more valuable to load up on running backs and wide receivers early.

Let's go through the first basemen to see where guys are rated and who is seen as draftable in fantasy baseball. More than my own valuations, this is going based off ESPN points rankings and where players are suggested to be drafted. Most stats are from MLB.com.

Check out the draftable players at catcher, second base, third base, shortstop, outfield, and starting pitcher. at the respective links.

Top Tier

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Toronto Blue Jays, ranked 10th overall
• Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers, 22nd
• Luis Arraez (2B), San Diego Padres, 34th
• Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies, 46th

Guerrero and Freeman and true stars. Over the past four years, Vlad has averaged 34.5 doubles, 34 home runs, 97.3 runs, and 101.3 RBI. He batted over .300 in two of those seasons and never fell below .264. Maybe most importantly, he played at least 156 games in each of those seasons.

Freeman's numbers are very similar: at least 159 games in three of the past four seasons (147 in the other), 41.5 doubles, 25.8 home runs, above .282 each year, and three times hitting at least .300. There's a little less power but not much, and Freeman is a little more consistent with the hit tool.

I'm not big on Arraez, though his ability to play both first and second base makes him more valuable. There's no questioning his bat control: three straight seasons with 170-plus hits (200 hits each of the past two), batting above .300 each year, and more walks than strikeouts during that time. There's not much power, though. He has reached 30 doubles in three straight seasons, but he totaled only 22 homers in that time. Arraez is fine, but I don't like him this high.

Harper has dealt with injuries, keeping his volume numbers lower than the top guys, though his per-game numbers are mostly on par. Playing first base exclusively may allow him to be on the field more often, but it's best to expect him to miss at least 20 games; that's enough to lead me to wait a little longer.

Tier 1B

• Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves, 52nd
• Pete Alonso, New York Mets, 59th
• Josh Naylor, Arizona Diamondbacks, 64th

These guys are outside the top 50, but there's not a ton of drop-off from the players in the previous tier. I really can't stress enough how much I prefer waiting for a first baseman.

Olson and Alonso are very close to the top guys in power numbers, but they aren't as good with average, and Olson and Alonso each strike out at least 50% more than Guerrero and Freeman. The value is better here, but you're taking a little step down in total production.

Naylor is more like the Harper of this group: his per-game numbers are close to the other guys, but he has missed time with injury, lowering his overall impact. Moving from Cleveland to Arizona will likely give him some more RBI and run opportunities; the Diamondbacks scored the most runs in the league last season, 44 more than the Dodgers.

Middle Tier

• Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City Royals, 85th
• Salvador Perez (C), Kansas City Royals, 86th
• Spencer Steer (OF), Cincinnati Reds, 90th
• Cody Bellinger (OF), New York Yankees, 101st
• Christian Walker, Houston Astros, 113th
• Yandy Diaz, Tampa Bay Rays, 128th
• Jake Cronenworth (2B), San Diego Padres, 137th

This is a big glut of guys in the middle rounds. If you waited until this point (as I have in mock drafts), you can piece together the position with multi-position guys (again, as I have in mock drafts).

My favorites are Perez and Bellinger, both because of their potential impact and their ability to play important positions (Perez at catcher and Bellinger in the outfield, where you have to fill three spots). Steer fits into that category as well, as does Cronenworth (though at a lower level, as he just makes the “draftable” cut).

Pasquantino, Walker, and Diaz are all fine. Walker might have the best floor, having averaged about 30 doubles and 30 homers each of the past three seasons. Pasquantino hasn't played enough games to show his true potential, so there's a chance for growth there, but I prefer his teammate Perez, who has positional versatility. Diaz has a better hit tool, batting at least .281 in each of the past three seasons, but there's not as much power. Though he's been over 30 doubles in those three seasons, he averaged just 15 home runs per year.

Early Streamers

• Spencer Horwitz (2B), Pittsburgh Pirates, 170th (begins season @ Miami Marlins)
• Nolan Schanuel, Los Angeles Anges, 228th (@ Chicago White Sox)

These are the guys to look at if you either don't get a strong option or if you want to play a matchup to start the season. Horwitz has less than 400 at-bats to his name and has been OK. His availability at both 1B and 2B might be his best asset.

Schanuel is my favorite low-end streamer at first base over the first weekend. The White Sox were the worst team in the league last season, and it won't be any better this year. The trade of Garrett Crochet means the White Sox don't have a real ace to start the year, so Schanuel will get a full series of good matchups to start things off.