First base: Pujols, and then who?

MLB expansion-era first basemen: Cumulative career OPS+

This category, which is simply the sum of each first baseman’s OPS+ values, is different from the standard career OPS+, which is essentially the player’s career average. Cumulative career OPS+ is designed to reward longevity. It is essentially a counter-balance to the first, peak-performance oriented, category.

Here’s the top 10.

Plainly McCovey has been the position’s dominant offensive player of the expansion era. He produced 10 seasons with an OPS+ above 150, peaking at 209 in 1969. That was the second of three consecutive seasons in which McCovey led the National League in the category.

Durability was Thome’s strength. Establishing himself as a regular in 1994, he averaged 128 games per season, and 64 of the games he missed were lost to the 1994 strike. Recalled today largely as a DH, he actually made nearly 300 more starts at first base.

Between 1995-2007, he topped 150 in OPS+ nine times.

With nine consecutive seasons above 150 between 2002-10, Pujols gave Thome a good run for the category leadership. Stargell’s career total was based on seven seasons above 150.

McGwire’s candidacy is damaged by the fact that while he was great at his best, injuries often limited his availability. He played only 15 full seasons, four fewer than Thome and five fewer – to date – than Pujols.