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.