With Major League Baseball’s opening day rapidly approaching, the time has come for fantasy baseball owners to start planning their draft strategies for the 2023 season. Many opt to anchor their teams with home runs and RBIs, which often translates to grabbing multiple first basemen early to plug into the 1B, corner infield, and utility spots. Today we will go over the top sluggers, best sleepers, and deep value plays with our 2023 first basemen rankings and dollar values.
The elite names at the top of the position almost go without saying. Not many players in all of baseball can offer fantastic across-the-board contributions like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Paul Goldschmidt, and Freddie Freeman. Pete Alonso also packs as much of a consistent home run punch as anyone in the MLB not named Aaron Judge. Matt Olson enjoyed a solid first season in Atlanta, too, but for owners who can’t land those big fish, plenty of value can be found beyond those upper-echelon first-baggers.
2023 FANTASY RANKINGS & DOLLAR VALUES:
Cs | 2Bs | 3Bs | SSs | OFs | SPs | RPs | Top 300
With an early ADP of 81, Jose Abreu is about as close to a sleeper as a former MVP can get. The Astros slugger had fine batting splits last season (.304/.378/.446) — and his power metrics were still well above average — but he never got it going with the long-ball like when he led the majors in RBIs in COVID summer or drove in an AL-leading 123 runs in 2019. Abreu should have plenty of opportunity to mount a bounce-back campaign batting in the middle of a stacked Astros order.
As for Abreu’s former squad, “stacked” isn’t exactly the first word that comes to mind for the White Sox, but Andrew Vaughn, who finally gets to play his natural position at first after two years of playing out of position in left field, looks poised for a breakout campaign. Another breakout candidate from the AL Central is 24-year-old Vinnie Pasquantino, who mashed 10 homers and 24 RBIs in just 72 games last season. The Rookie of the Year candidate hit .295 and maintained a staggering OPS of .832.
Plenty of guys offer power with little else, like Arizona’s Christian Walker and Milwaukee’s Rowdy Tellez. Other guys like reigning AL batting champ Luis Arraez make for superb plays in punt-homer builds. But players like Baltimore’s Ryan Mountcastle, Seattle’s Ty France, San Diego’s Jake Cronenworth, and Minnesota’s Jose Miranda all strike us as players who can put it all together and hit for power and average. We also have a ton of draft capital invested so far in 23-year-old Triston Casas, who has been hitting the cover off the ball for the Red Sox in Spring Training.
First base is not nearly as top-heavy as many fantasy pundits would have you believe. The NL adopting the DH position starting last season drove up the value of 1B-eligible players in a major way, and now with pitch clocks and new defensive shift governance, the home-run ball is in the proverbial court of the MLB’s top sluggers. We could see a massive amount of home runs and RBI this season, so it’s important to choose wisely when selecting your first basemen.
Be sure to keep an eye out for more comprehensive fantasy baseball coverage from us between now and the start of the MLB season, including top sleepers, breakout candidates, and a full cheat sheet. For now, here are the first basemen rankings for the 2023 fantasy season, featuring each players’ alternate positional eligibility.
2023 FANTASY RANKINGS & DOLLAR VALUES:
Cs | 1Bs | 3Bs | SSs | OFs | SPs | RPs | Top 300
Health certainly plays a big part in second base booms or busts. If they could go 155 games without landing on the IL, Jazz Chisholm Jr. could produce a 30-30 season and Ozzie Albies could likely go 30-20 with 100-plus RBIs, but 155 games seems unlikely, just like Max Muncy hitting above the Mendoza line for just the second time since 2020 could be unlikely. And will Gleyber Torres continue to trend back upward toward his early-career success? Maybe someone like Tommy Edman is a safer bet, if not more boring.
Don’t convince yourself that second base has no sleepers or breakout candidates. We like Minnesota’s Jorge Polanco to bounce back after an injury-plagued 2021 — he’s just two years removed from 33 dingers, 98 RBIs, and 11 steals. We’re also big fans of Jake Cronenworth with Fernando Tatis set to return from suspension on April 20, and Luis Arraez led the AL in batting last season (.316) if you’re punting power or speed.
We’ll get more into our sleepers and breakouts in a separate column, but let’s just say that plenty more breakout candidates exist at second than most pundits would have you believe. Atlanta’s Vaughn Grissom put up five bombs and stole five bags while driving in 18 runs and batting .291 in just 41 games last year. Arizona’s Josh Rojas swiped 23 bags in just 125 games, and San Francisco’s Thairo Estrada had 14 homers, 21 steals, and 62 RBIs in 140 games. Upside, upside, upside!
Fantasy Baseball 1B Rankings 2023: Top players, sleepers at first base
Position eligibility based on Yahoo’s default settings
| Rank | Player | Other Pos. Elig. |
| 1 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays | |
| 2 | Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals | |
| 3 | Freddie Freeman, Dodgers | |
| 4 | Pete Alonso, Mets | |
| 5 | Matt Olson, Braves | |
| 6 | Jose Abreu, Astros | |
| 7 | Vinnie Pasquantino, Royals | |
| 8 | Christian Walker, Diamondbacks | |
| 9 | Andrew Vaughn, White Sox | OF |
| 10 | Nathaniel Lowe, Rangers | |
| 11 | C.J. Cron, Rockies | |
| 12 | Rowdy Tellez, Brewers | |
| 13 | Ryan Mountcastle, Orioles | |
| 14 | Ty France, Mariners | 3B |
| 15 | Jake Cronenworth, Padres | 2B, SS |
| 16 | Jose Miranda, Twins | 3B |
| 17 | Luis Arraez, Marlins | 2B |
| 18 | Joey Meneses, Nationals | OF |
| 19 | Triston Casas, Red Sox | |
| 20 | Josh Bell, Guardians | |
| 21 | Alec Bohm, Phillies | 3B |
| 22 | Josh Naylor, Guardians | |
| 23 | Trey Mancini, Cubs | |
| 24 | Brandon Drury, Angels | 2B, 3B |
| 25 | DJ LeMahieu, Yankees | 2B, 3B |
| 26 | Darick Hall, Phillies | |
| 27 | Yandy Diaz, Rays | 3B |
| 28 | Miguel Vargas, Dodgers | |
| 29 | Seth Brown, Athletics | OF |
| 30 | Jared Walsh, Angels | |
| 31 | Spencer Torkelson, Tigers | |
| 32 | Alex Kirilloff, Twins | OF |
| 33 | Juan Yepez, Cardinals | OF |
| 34 | Brendan Donovan, Cardinals | 2B, 3B, SS, OF |
| 35 | Wil Myers, Reds | OF |
| 36 | Joey Votto, Reds | |
| 37 | Wilmer Flores, Giants | 2B,3B,DH |
| 38 | Isaac Paredes, Rays | 2B, 3B |
| 39 | Garrett Cooper, Marlins |
Fantasy Baseball 1B Projected Dollar Values
Dollar values courtesy of Fantasy Pros and based on a 12-team mixed league with a $260 budget (70 percent allocated for hitting)
| Player | Dollar Value |
| Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR – 1B,DH) | $43 |
| Freddie Freeman (LAD – 1B) | $43 |
| Pete Alonso (NYM – 1B,DH) | $35 |
| Paul Goldschmidt (STL – 1B,DH) | $34 |
| Matt Olson (ATL – 1B) | $27 |
| Nathaniel Lowe (TEX – 1B) | $17 |
| Jose Abreu (HOU – 1B,DH) | $16 |
| C.J. Cron (COL – 1B,DH) | $15 |
| Christian Walker (ARI – 1B) | $14 |
| Ryan Mountcastle (BAL – 1B,DH) | $14 |
| Luis Arraez (MIA – 1B,2B,DH) | $11 |
| Ty France (SEA – 1B,3B) | $11 |
| Rowdy Tellez (MIL – 1B) | $11 |
| Anthony Rizzo (NYY – 1B) | $10 |
| Josh Bell (CLE – 1B,DH) | $10 |
| Jake Cronenworth (SD – 1B,2B,SS) | $9 |
| Andrew Vaughn (CWS – 1B,LF,RF,DH) | $9 |
| Alec Bohm (PHI – 1B,3B) | $8 |
| Vinnie Pasquantino (KC – 1B,DH) | $8 |
| Yandy Diaz (TB – 1B,3B) | $7 |
| Josh Naylor (CLE – 1B,RF,DH) | $7 |
| Jose Miranda (MIN – 1B,3B,DH) | $6 |
| Joey Meneses (WSH – 1B,RF) | $4 |
| Brandon Drury (LAA – 1B,2B,3B,DH) | $3 |
| Seth Brown (OAK – 1B,LF,CF,RF) | $3 |
| Wil Myers (CIN – 1B,LF,RF) | $3 |
| DJ LeMahieu (NYY – 1B,2B,3B) | $2 |
| Miguel Vargas (LAD – 1B) | $2 |
| Brendan Donovan (STL – 1B,2B,3B,SS,LF,RF) | $1 |
| Triston Casas (BOS – 1B) | $1 |
All other players valued at $0