Fantasy Baseball Rankings: 1B

Written by Steve Adler

First Base Projections for 2010

Albert Pujols

King Albert reigns over the most productive offensive category in Fantasy Baseball. Albert Pujols is on a tier by himself, the guys is amazing and just when you thought he could not get better he started running last season. As we break down the first baseman, the position is deep, but elite talent shines at the top. If you can pick up a stud early go for it, if you miss out, don’t reach on a pick, there is plenty of depth at the position.

Tier 1

Albert Pujols – 30

	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2007	565	99	32	103	2	0.327	.429.
2008	524	100	37	116	7	0.357	0.462
2009	568	124	47	135	16	0.327	0.443
PROJ.	552	115	42	125	8	0.330	0.450

His numbers are amazing and you can expect similar numbers to continue. The addition of Matt Holiday will allow him to see more pitches, but don’t expect him to steal 20 bases.

Tier 2

Mark Teixeria – 30

	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2007	494	86	30	105	0	0.306	0.400
2008	574	102	33	121	2	0.308	0.410
2009	609	103	39	122	2	0.292	0.383
PROJ.	590	103	43	125	2	0.295	0.398

For the first time in three seasons, Teixeria was able to play a full season with one team. Tex was a model of consistency and with one year under his belt and the addition of Curtis Granderson there is no reason to think his numbers will drop. He’s a safe bet as well as having huge upside.

Miguel Cabrera – 27

	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2007	588	91	34	119	2	0.320	0.401
2008	616	85	37	127	1	0.292	0.349
2009	611	96	34	103	6	0.324	0.396
PROJ.	605	92	37	110	2	0.320	0.385

Miguel is now in his prime and is one of the best pure hitters in baseball. After a season in which he was lucky to pass 100 RBIs, Cabrera now loses Granderson. Do not discount Cabrera because of his drop in RBIs, his average and OBP were up and he is primed for a big season.

Ryan Howard – 30

	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2007	529	94	47	136	1	0.268	0.392
2008	610	105	48	146	1	0.251	0.339
2009	616	105	45	141	8	0.279	0.360
PROJ.	610	102	47	140	3	0.266	0.365

Howard is an RBI machine, but his average can be an issue. He did bounce back from hitting .251 in 2008 up to .279 in 2009. He will probably land some where in the middle, but that’s not why you pick him. Over the last three seasons he has over 45 HRs and 135 RBIs. Keep in mind he likes to heat up when the weather does so be patient.

Prince Fielder – 26

	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2007	573	109	50	119	2	0.288	0.395
2008	588	86	34	102	3	0.276	0.372
2009	591	103	45	141	2	0.299	0.412
PROJ.	590	105	48	135	2	0.295	0.402

Amazing that Prince is only 26, he is quite a fire cracked, but has put up great numbers. The big questions with Fielder is….has he reached his ceiling? After a career year last season and just turning 26 can this be a monster year for Prince? I think you see a slight dip from last season, but he is still first round talent.

Tier 3

Adrian Gonzalez - 28

	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2007	646	101	30	100	0	0.282	0.347
2008	616	103	36	119	0	0.279	0.361
2009	552	90	40	99	1	0.277	0.407
PROJ.	600	102	42	115	0	0.285	0.405

A fantastic hitter in a pitchers park with no protection. Adrian’s HR totals have risen every year despite the lack of protection he has. After starting red hot he did cool down as pitchers forced him to take a walk or expand his strike zone. He does have a .300 season in him but the rest of his numbers should remain the same.

Joey Votto – 27 (HUGE UPSIDE)

	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2007	84	11	4	17	1	0.321	0.360
2008	526	69	24	84	7	0.297	0.368
2009	469	82	25	84	?	0.322	0.414
PROJ.	550	101	34	110	3	0.320	0.403

Last season was a rough one for Votto. Dealing with his father passing away, and a bout of vertigo shortend his season. When Joey was on the field he produced and if all is back to normal you can expect a huge season from Votto.

Kendry Morales – 27

	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2007	119	12	4	15	0	0.294	0.333
2008	61	7	3	8	0	0.213	0.273
2009	566	86	34	108	3	0.306	0.355
PROJ.	570	102	37	105	2	0.298	0.360

Busting on the scene, Morales came through like a champ his first season starting. A fantastic switch hitter, Morales was consistent even though his supporting cast was not. Expect the same if not more this season.

Justin Morneau – 29 (PROCEED WITH CAUTION)

	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2007	590	84	31	111	1	0.271	0.343
2008	623	97	23	129	0	0.300	0.374
2009	508	85	30	100	0	0.274	0.363
PROJ.	590	93	27	105	0	0.275	0.360

A stress fracture in his lower back ended his season early. A new “open air” stadium in Minnesota could mean all kinds of issues for hitters, rain delays, double headers, dead ball. I would proceed with caution.