Top 10 fantasy baseball first basemen for the 2023 season

We continue on in our fantasy baseball rankings, this time with first basemen. This is one of the deepest positions in fantasy baseball, with stars not making the list. Since the talent pool is so deep here, you can wait until the middle rounds of your draft to snag a first basemen if you’d rather add talent at a weaker position like catcher earlier in the draft.

This list is a ranking of the top 10 fantasy baseball first basemen you should target for your team.

First, a few first basemen who just missed the list:

Jake Cronenworth was one of the best second basemen in fantasy baseball last year, but with the Xander Bogaerts signing pushing Ha-Seong Kim to second base, Cronenworth will slide to first. He has experience there (he averages at least 20 games per full season there since his callup), but he doesn’t have the power bat you would expect out of a first baseman. He slashed .239/.332/.390.722 with 17 homers, 30 doubles, 88 RBI and runs scored. His OPS+ was 111, even though it was a down year all around. Expect more from him in 2023.

Jose Abreu has been one of the most reliable, consistent, and underrated first baseman in the game over the better part of the last decade. Last year, he slashed .304/.378/.446/.824, good for an OPS+ of 133. He hit 15 homers, 40 doubles, drove in 75 runs, and scored 80. His power numbers were lower last year (he hit 30 homers and slugged .481 in 2021), but he will likely bat sixth or seventh in this Astros lineup, which just shows how deep they are. Arguably his most valuable asset in fantasy baseball is his availability. He’s only played less than 145 games twice in his career — in 2018 when he injured his leg, and in the pandemic-shortened 2020, when he led the league with 60 games played. Availability is the best ability, and he’s got it in spades.

Josh Bell has had some peaks and valleys in his career, but the one constant is that he’s a legitimate power threat. Last year, he slashed .266/.362/.422/.784, good for a 128 OPS+. He hit 17 homers, 29 doubles, drove in 71 runs, and scored 78. He was much better in the first half when he was on the Nationals (.301/.384/.493/.877 with a 153 OPS+), and then he struggled mightily after being traded to San Diego (.192/.316/.271/.587). If his 2022 first-half form shows in Cleveland this year, he’ll be an important bat in the middle of their lineup.

These are all guys that you should want on your fantasy baseball teams. With the honorable mentions out of the way, let’s look at the top 10 fantasy baseball first basemen you should target for your team in 2023.

Fantasy baseball first basemen #8: Christian Walker

Christian Walker had his best season last year. He hit .242/.327/.477/.804, good for an OPS+ of 126. He hit 36 homers, 25 doubles, drove in 94 runs, and scored 84. The Diamondbacks have some young, fast, exciting players like Corbin Carroll and Alek Thomas who will probably hit in front of Walker, so expect him to have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs. One thing to work on is hitting for a little more contact, which he’s done in the past, but he is still a very solid first base option in any format. He’s also a candidate to get traded at the deadline, so he could find himself in a better lineup by early August.

Fantasy baseball first basemen #7: Anthony Rizzo

Anthony Rizzo used to be a fixture at the top of these lists, but he’s significantly changed his playing style as he’s aged, so he’s slid down a bit. Last year, Rizzo slashed .224/.338/.480/.817, good for a 131 OPS+. He hit 32 homers, 21 doubles, drove in 75 runs, and scored 77. He’s become a boom-or-bust slugger, foregoing the contact skills he used to display for light-tower power. Thankfully he still has a good eye, with his walk and strikeout rates staying relatively close to his career norms. He’s been working on keeping some of the balls that he used to pull foul fair, so if he can straighten some of those out, expect more homers to the high-school-distanced short porch.

Fantasy baseball first basemen #6: Nathaniel Lowe

Nathaniel Lowe had a breakout season in 2022. He had seen glimpses of power and his ability to work counts, but he put it all together during his second season as the Rangers’ everyday first baseman. He slashed .302/.358/.492/.851, good for a 141 OPS+. He hit 27 homers, 26 doubles, drove in 76 runs, and scored 74. It would benefit him to walk some more, but a .358 on-base percentage isn’t anything to complain about. Texas is building a nice team, and since he’s not eligible for free agency until 2027, he will be entrenched in the middle of that lineup for years to come.

Fantasy baseball first basemen #5: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Vladdy Jr. had a good season last year, but it was a major step back from his MVP-worthy 2021. Last year he slashed .274/.339/.480/.818, good for an OPS+ of 132. He slugged 32 homers, 35 doubles, drove in 97 runs, and scored 90. The major concern about Vladito is how many of his batted balls end up on the ground. His ground ball rate was 52.1% last year, an 8 percent raise from 2021 (44.8%). He needs to figure out how to hit the ball in the air more often because his fantasy ceiling is limited if he doesn’t. He led the league in double plays grounded into last year with 26, which you hate to see if your league has that negative-scoring category. If he can lift the ball more, he can shoot up this list.

Fantasy baseball first basemen #4: Matt Olson

Matt Olson’s first season in Atlanta was a smashing success. The lefty hit .240/.325/.477/.802, good for a 122 OPS+. He crushed 34 homers, 44 doubles, drove in 103 runs, and scored 86. As I’ve said in other rankings, availability is the best ability, and that absolutely fits Olson. He has either led the league or tied for the league lead in games played three times: in 2018 and 2022, with 162 games, and in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Since 2018, the only year he hasn’t played a full season was 2019, when he missed about 35 games. Yes, the strikeouts can be problematic, but if you value someone who will likely play a full year, you can reach for him.

Fantasy baseball first basemen #3: Pete Alonso

Polar Bear Pete was one of the best sluggers in baseball in 2022. The righty hit .271/.352/.518/.869, good for an OPS+ of 146. He mashed 40 homers, 27 doubles, drove in an MLB-best 131 runs, and scored 95. Alonso will have essentially the same lineup around him in 2023, so expect more of the same from this elite slugger. He’s cut down on strikeouts a lot since his rookie season, and he’s been working on increasing contact and walks, which can only raise his value.

Fantasy baseball first basemen #2: Freddie Freeman

Freddie Freeman is a machine, and nothing is going to slow him down. In his first season in Los Angeles, the lefty hit .325/.407/.511/.918, good for a 152 OPS+. He hit 21 homers, 47 doubles, drove in 100 runs, and scored 117. He led the league in hits (199) and doubles, and led the National League in runs, plate appearances and on-base percentage. He also posted his best batting average over a full season (he hit .341 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season).

Fantasy baseball first basemen #1: Paul Goldschmidt

Pauly G. finally got his MVP award in 2022, after finishing in the top three of voting three other times, and in the top six five times. The righty slashed .317/.404/.578/.981, good for a 180 OPS+. He crushed 35 homers, 41 doubles, drove in 115 runs, and scored 106. Goldy led the National League in slugging percentage, OPS, and OPS+. He was one of the most consistent hitters in baseball, and it was a joy to have him on my team last year.

These two guys will likely end up in Cooperstown. These are the types of hitters you build your team around, so you shouldn’t have any hesitations about drafting these guys early.

How would you rank your top fantasy baseball first basemen? Let us know in the comments.