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Fantasy Baseball 2016 > Rankings > First Basemen > Rankings Archive 2015
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2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Archives: First Base

(Standard 5 x 5 Fantasy Stats)

Justin K. Moreau
If you look at our archive of fantasy first baseman rankings for 2015, you'll see we nailed a lot of it. Paul Goldschmidt kicked ass, Miguel Cabrera (barring injury) kicked ass, Edwin Encarnacion kicked ass, Jose Abreu kicked ass, Freddie Freeman kicked - oh... wait. Anyway, a lot of the other guys had great seasons, too, and those of you who trusted Albert Pujols to revert close to his old form were very happy with him. Who would have ever thought that Pujols would have been a great sleeper pick at any point in his career? And Chris Davis came back just like we predicted he would. There's a lot more on this archived list of fantasy first basemen, so use these stats to bolster your picks in 2016, too.
RANKPlayerGABRHRRBISBAVG
1Goldschmidt, P10940675196990.300
2Cabrera, M1596111012510910.313
3Encarnacion, E12847775349820.268
4Abreu, J145556803610730.317
5Freeman, F16260793187830.288
6Gonzalez, A159591832711610.276
7Rizzo, A14052489327850.286
8LaRoche, A14049473269230.259
9Pujols, A159633892810550.272
10Davis, C12745065267220.196
11Morneau, J13550262178200.319
12Votto, J622203262310.255
13Duda, L15351474309230.253
14Moss, B14750070258110.234
15Adams, M14252755156830.288
16Fielder, P421501931600.247
17Belt, B6121430122730.243
18Santana, C15254168278550.231
19Cron, C7924228113700.256
20Napoli, M11941549175530.248
21Teixeira, M12344056226210.216
22Lind, A962903864000.321
23Hosmer, E1315035495840.270
24Morrison, L9933641113850.262
25Vargas, K532152693800.274


Miguel Cabrera
Miguel Cabrera is officially a First Baseman now in most fantasy leagues. He's still money, regardless.
2014 was a great year for first basemen. Jose Abreu came out of nowhere to carry fantasy teams to the promised land, Albert Pujols had a strong comeback year, Justin Morneau had a relieving comeback year, and Anthony Rizzo and Adam LaRoche lived up to expectations as well.

There were some disappointments, too: Paul Goldschmidt's season was cut short by injuries... Freddie Freeman had a mediocre year (for him), and Edwin Encarnacion missed 30+ games again in an otherwise great season.

Other guys had notable years, either for good or bad reasons, too. Adrian Gonzalez led the league with 116 RBI; Eric Hosmer lost his power stroke, but still helped lead the Royals to the World Series; Ryan Howard showed flashes of his old self; Lucas Duda had a big year (finally), and the Twins found their next David Ortiz replica in
Kennys Vargas  - at least they hope so. And if so, they hope they don't trade him right before his prime like they did with Ortiz.


Sleeper Picks at First Base for 2015

First, let's get to some players that you shouldn't forget about come draft day - some of the guys who disappeared about the past year or so... namely, Prince Fielder. After missing just 8 games in 8 seasons, Prince Fielder was sidelined with an injury in 2014 that only allowed him to play (poorly) in 42 games. When he left, he was on pace for about 10-12 home runs. If Fielder is healthy in 2015 and still playing in Texas (probably as a frequent DH to boot), we just can't see him hitting any less than .270 with 25 HR. Depending on the cast around him, he may not drive in or score more than 85 runs, but we just thought we'd remind you that Prince Fielder is still a viable option as a fantasy first baseman, and he may come at a bargain in 2015.
Brandon Belt was set for a breakout season in 2014 until injuries sidelined him. He finished 2013 on an absolute tear, but 2014 bit him with the injury bug. Belt played in just 61 games last year, but he was on pace for about 80 runs, 25-30 HR and about 75-80 RBI before being sidelined with injuries. He's in the middle of a pretty-potent San Francisco Giants lineup this season and Belt is only 27 years old. Draft him kinda late because he's gonna be on the minds of a lot of fantasy owners who want redemption for last year.
More Guys to Remember on Draft Day:
Chris Davis: 26 HR in 123 games (.196 avg)
Lucas Duda: 30 HR, 92 RBI, .253 avg.
Matt Adams: 15 HR in 142 games; .288 avg.
Mark Teixeira: 22 HR, 440 AB, .216 avg.
Joe Mauer: .277 avg, 120 games, 96 SO.
Adam LaRoche: now on the White Sox.
Brandon Moss: in CLE, 25 HR, .234 avg.
Justin Morneau: still in Colorado; .319 avg.
Eric Hosmer: only 9 HR in '14; only 25 years old.
Mike Morse is one of the most frustrating guys in fantasy baseball. The dude's a beast, but he gets hurt all the time. This season, Morse is giving it a go in Miami, so he's in another potent lineup, assuming Giancarlo Stanton is okay, of course. While we're going to refrain from predicting Morse's success, when he does play, he's productive and has immense power. Draft him late and don' spend more than $5 on him in an auction (and if you spend over $3, prepare yourself for disappointment, just in case)... but we hope he has a great season because he's one of the best power hitters to watch crush baseballs when he's on fire.
Mike (Michael) Morse
The often-injured Mike Morse is frustrating to have on your fantasy team. He's in Miami this year, so maybe he'll finally be consistent and healthy... maybe.
Jon Singleton was all-or-nothing for the Houston Astros in 2014. He was good enough to record 310 at bats in 95 games, but he only hit .168 with 134 strikeouts. On the flip-side, he also hit 13 HR with 44 RBI. He's also clearly too good to continue to play in the minors (he hit .267 with 14 HR, with 43 RBI in 54 games in AAA), so he's going to land somewhere in the major leagues this season. Throughout his minor league career, he steadily improved every season as he learned each new level. He's only 23 years old, so he's well on his way. Draft him late - like last round only, but don't be surprised to see Mark Reynolds-like numbers.
CJ Cron was solid for the Angels in 2014, and they needed him given the injury (and overall crappy year) that Josh Hamilton had. Cron hit .256 with 11 HR and 37 RBI in 242 At Bats (79 games). Projected out to a full season, that puts him around the 25 HR mark, but... he is extremely impatient at the plate. He only walked 10 times to go along with his 61 strikeouts, so don't expect consistency (in a positive way, anyway). He'll put up numbers, but there will be weeks when he buries you offensively if you're counting on him as a starter. We expect CJ Cron to hit around 25 HR with 75 RBI, and they may come in bunches, which is both good and bad in terms of fantasy production.
CJ Cron Fantasy Sleeper at 1b
CJ Cron was a big help to the Angels and he could be a helpful fantasy sleeper in 2015, too.
Kennys Vargas is like a second chance for the Twins to redeem themselves for David Ortiz. Vargas is a classic, no-patience power hitter who needs to learn to take a pitch. He hit .274, but he also only walked 12 times while striking out 63 times in just 53 games (215 at bats). He's 24 years old this season, and th esooner he learns to take a pitch, the better, because major league pitchers will figure out his weaknesses at the plate very quickly. He's in a solid lineup in Minnesota, so he'll have plenty of chances to put up big numbers.


One-Day Fantasy Baseball Leagues For Cash at FanDuel.com

Top 10 Fantasy First Basemen: Batting Average

RANKPlayerAVG
1Morneau, J0.319
2Abreu, J0.317
3Cabrera, M0.313
4Goldschmidt, P0.300
5Loney, J0.290
6Freeman, F0.288
6Adams, M0.288
8Rizzo, A0.286
9Mauer, J0.277
10Gonzalez, A0.276
11Pujols, A0.272
12Hosmer, E0.270
13Encarnacion, E0.268
14Morrison, L0.262
15LaRoche, A0.259
16Duda, L0.253
17Napoli, M0.248
18Jones, G0.246
19Moss, B0.234
20Davis, I0.233
21Santana, C0.231
22Howard, R0.223
22Callaspo, A0.223
24Morales, K0.218
25Teixeira, M0.216

Top 10 Fantasy First Basemen: Stolen Bases

RANKPlayerSB
1Goldschmidt, P9
2Alonso, Y6
2Medica, T6
4Pujols, A5
4Santana, C5
4Rizzo, A5
4Reynolds, M5
4Morrison, L5
9Loney, J4
9Hosmer, E4
9Rosales, A4
12Freeman, F3
12Abreu, J3
12Adams, M3
12Duda, L3
12LaRoche, A3
12Mauer, J3
12Napoli, M3
12Belt, B3
12Campbell, E3
12Guzman, J3
22Encarnacion, E2
22Davis, C2
22Singleton, J2
22Sanchez, G2
22Overbay, L2

Top 25 First Basemen: Total Bases

RANKPlayerTotal Bases
1Abreu, J323
2Cabrera, M320
3Pujols, A295
4Gonzalez, A285
5Freeman, F280
6Rizzo, A276
7Encarnacion, E261
8Morneau, J249
9Duda, L247
10Adams, M241
11Santana, C231
12Loney, J228
13LaRoche, A225
14Goldschmidt, P220
15Moss, B219
16Howard, R216
17Jones, G204
18Hosmer, E200
19Davis, C182
20Dunn, A178
21Teixeira, M175
22Napoli, M174
23Mauer, J169
24Reynolds, M149
25Morrison, L141


Other Positions:

C   1B   2B   3B   SS   OF   DH   All Hitters   SP   RP

Top 20 Fantasy First Basemen: Runs

RANKPlayerR
1Cabrera, M101
2Freeman, F93
3Rizzo, A89
3Pujols, A89
5Gonzalez, A83
6Abreu, J80
7Goldschmidt, P75
7Encarnacion, E75
9Duda, L74
10LaRoche, A73
11Moss, B70
12Santana, C68
13Davis, C65
13Howard, R65
15Morneau, J62
16Mauer, J60
17Loney, J59
17Jones, G59
19Teixeira, M56
20Adams, M55

Top 20 Fantasy First Basemen: Home Runs (HR)

RANKPlayerHR
1Abreu, J36
2Encarnacion, E34
3Rizzo, A32
4Duda, L30
5Pujols, A28
6Gonzalez, A27
6Santana, C27
8LaRoche, A26
8Davis, C26
10Cabrera, M25
10Moss, B25
12Howard, R23
13Teixeira, M22
13Dunn, A22
13Reynolds, M22
16Goldschmidt, P19
17Freeman, F18
18Morneau, J17
18Napoli, M17
20Jones, G15
20Adams, M15
Baseball Rampage

Top 20 Fantasy First Basemen: RBI

RANKPlayerRBI
1Gonzalez, A116
2Cabrera, M109
3Abreu, J107
4Pujols, A105
5Encarnacion, E98
6Howard, R95
7Duda, L92
8LaRoche, A92
9Santana, C85
10Morneau, J82
11Moss, B81
12Rizzo, A78
13Freeman, F78
14Davis, C72
15Goldschmidt, P69
16Loney, J69
17Adams, M68
18Dunn, A64
19Teixeira, M62
20Hosmer, E58
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Photos used under Creative Commons from Keith Allison, Keith Allison, Keith Allison