2020 Fantasy Baseball: Top 10 H2H first basemen, ranked

Who are the top 10 first basemen in H2H fantasy baseball leagues for 2020? Let’s take a closer look and rank them for your convenience.

As the MLB regular season approaches, baseball fans start to prepare for the upcoming fantasy baseball season. Lucky for those of you playing in head-to-head (H2H) leagues, over the next few days we’re going to provide you with the top ten players at every position.

To make our determinations, we crowdsourced the major fantasy platforms (ESPN, CBS,  Yahoo!, etc.) and then ranked each player based on their average ranking position.

Today, we begin with the top H2H first basemen.

10. Yuli Gurriel, Houston Astros

2019 MLB Season: .298 AVG / .884 OPS / 40 2B / 2 3B / 31 HR / 104 RBI

2020 STEAMER: .289 AVG / .818 OPS / 37 2B / 2 3B / 24 HR / 93 RBI

We kick off our rankings with Yuli Gurriel, who I’ll say right off the bat, you should be wary of when drafting. To begin with, given the recent revelations (and allegations) of the Houston Astros methods of cheating, it’s hard to determine how much of Yuli’s performance is legit or enhanced by cheating.

During 2019, his age-35 season, Yuli had a career year, posting high’s in 32 HR, 104 RBI, .343 OBP, and .541 SLG. As he approaches 36, the Steamer projections system has Gurriel having a bit of a drop off in production.

His ability to play 1B and 3B makes him an attractive option at the 10-spot. Though, as I said, tread lightly. Now that MLB is on to the Astros’ methods, we’ll get to see who the real Yuli Gurriel is.

2020 Fantasy Baseball: Top 10 first basemen

9. Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox

2019 MLB Season: .284 AVG / .834 OPS / 38 2B / 1 3B / 33 HR / 123 RB

2020 STEAMER: .276 AVG / .831 OPS / 35 2B / 1 3B / 32 HR / 101 RBI

Jose Abreu is one of the understated MLB players. So much so that, last season he led the league in RBI with 123, mashing 33 HR on a dreadful White Sox team. Year in and year out, Abreu remains a top-level first baseman. This coming season should be no different.

Given his 2019 season stats and the Steamer projection, Abreu should continue to hit for power in 2020, making him an attractive option in H2H leagues. The only negative think about Abreu is that he doesn’t offer much flexibility in terms of positions. In some leagues, he’s a strict 1B while in others, he can also be slotted as a DH.

8. Rhys Hoskins, Philadelphia Phillies

2019 MLB Season: .226 AVG / .819 OPS / 33 2B / 5 3B / 29 HR / 85 RBI

2020 STEAMER: .242 AVG / .865 OPS / 27 2B / 3 3B / 36 HR / 96 RBI

Rhys Hoskins had a disappointing 2019 MLB season, which will drive some fantasy baseball enthusiasts away. However, unlike many players on this list, the Steamer system is projecting Hoskins to have a better 2020 in just about every aspect of the game.

Like Abreu, Hoskins doesn’t have much positional maneuverability even though he does spend some time in the outfield. ESPN, for example, is listing Hoskins as a strict 1B. Still, in all, he’d be a good sleeper option at the position, especially considering that the Phillies are seriously looking to contend this season.

7. Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians

2019 MLB Season: .281 AVG / .911 OPS / 30 2B / 1 3B / 34 HR / 93 RBI

2020 STEAMER: .260 AVG / .859 OPS / 30 2B / 1 3B / 30 HR / 94 RBI

If nothing else, Carlos Santana is the type of player that will rarely post negative points during a given matchup. That’s because of his extreme level of patience at the plate. Add to that the fact that he can be slotted for 25-30 home runs, and you have yourself a valuable option at first.

At the same time, Santana is strictly a first baseman, making him less flexible. He’s also going to turn 34 at the start of the 2020 MLB season, so you should expect a bit of a decline in production (see STEAMER above).

2020 Fantasy Baseball: Top 10 first basemen

6. Matt Olson, Oakland Athletics

2019 MLB Season: .267 AVG / .896 OPS / 26 2B / 0 3B / 36 HR / 91 RBI

2020 STEAMER: .255 AVG / .859 OPS / 29 2B / 1 3B / 38 HR / 103 RBI

Matt Olson arrived as a Gold Glove-caliber first baseman in 2018 and then built upon his game in 2019 by adding an element of power and patience. This makes him an amazing option in H2H fantasy baseball leagues.

Unfortunately, the Steamer system projects Olson to have a bit of decline in 2020, but look closer and he should net more points given a projected increase in home runs, doubles, and triples. Olson is another one of those options that won’t get a lot of attention on draft night, but he will most certainly be one of those sleeper picks that will make a big impact on your weekly total points.

5. Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals

2019 MLB Season: .260 AVG / .821 OPS / 25 2B / 1 3B / 34 HR / 97 RBI

2020 STEAMER: .273 AVG / .864 OPS / 29 2B / 2 3B / 31 HR / 92 RBI

In some respects, Paul Goldschmidt had a bit of a down year in terms of patience and hitting last season. This was the result of a dreadful start to the season. In the end, his power production kept him in the top tier of first basemen in the league.

This season, Goldy is looking to return to complete form according to the Steamer system. He’s predicted to see a jump in batting average and overall power and patience.

The point is, you can never go wrong with Goldy. If he’s available and you’re in need of a 1B, draft him and bank on a decent season.

4. Josh Bell, Pittsburgh Pirates

2019 MLB Season: .277 AVG / .936 OPS / 37 2B / 3 3B / 37 HR / 116 RBI

2020 STEAMER: .275 AVG / .873 OPS / 32 2B / 3 3B / 29 HR / 94 RBI

Last season, after years of working on different aspects of his game, it all came together for Josh Bell. How much of that is due to the fact that the baseballs were juiced in 2019? It’s hard to say. The Steamer system projects Bell to produce somewhat similar in most areas, however, which is promising.

I’d say, Bell is the riskiest player at this level on this list. Why? Well, because he’s only really had one elite year as an MLB player. Some would argue that Goldy should be taken ahead of Bell.

At the same time, however, you can take Bell later in the draft and potentially get top-tier level production.