Fantasy Baseball 2016 > Rankings > First Basemen > Rankings Archive 2015

2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Archives: First Base

(Standard 5 x 5 Fantasy Stats)

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.

RANK	Player	G	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG
1	Goldschmidt, P	109	406	75	19	69	9	0.300
2	Cabrera, M	159	611	101	25	109	1	0.313
3	Encarnacion, E	128	477	75	34	98	2	0.268
4	Abreu, J	145	556	80	36	107	3	0.317
5	Freeman, F	162	607	93	18	78	3	0.288
6	Gonzalez, A	159	591	83	27	116	1	0.276
7	Rizzo, A	140	524	89	32	78	5	0.286
8	LaRoche, A	140	494	73	26	92	3	0.259
9	Pujols, A	159	633	89	28	105	5	0.272
10	Davis, C	127	450	65	26	72	2	0.196
11	Morneau, J	135	502	62	17	82	0	0.319
12	Votto, J	62	220	32	6	23	1	0.255
13	Duda, L	153	514	74	30	92	3	0.253
14	Moss, B	147	500	70	25	81	1	0.234
15	Adams, M	142	527	55	15	68	3	0.288
16	Fielder, P	42	150	19	3	16	0	0.247
17	Belt, B	61	214	30	12	27	3	0.243
18	Santana, C	152	541	68	27	85	5	0.231
19	Cron, C	79	242	28	11	37	0	0.256
20	Napoli, M	119	415	49	17	55	3	0.248
21	Teixeira, M	123	440	56	22	62	1	0.216
22	Lind, A	96	290	38	6	40	0	0.321
23	Hosmer, E	131	503	54	9	58	4	0.270
24	Morrison, L	99	336	41	11	38	5	0.262
25	Vargas, K	53	215	26	9	38	0	0.274

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.

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 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.

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Top 10 Fantasy First Basemen: Batting Average

RANK	Player	AVG
1	Morneau, J	0.319
2	Abreu, J	0.317
3	Cabrera, M	0.313
4	Goldschmidt, P	0.300
5	Loney, J	0.290
6	Freeman, F	0.288
6	Adams, M	0.288
8	Rizzo, A	0.286
9	Mauer, J	0.277
10	Gonzalez, A	0.276
11	Pujols, A	0.272
12	Hosmer, E	0.270
13	Encarnacion, E	0.268
14	Morrison, L	0.262
15	LaRoche, A	0.259
16	Duda, L	0.253
17	Napoli, M	0.248
18	Jones, G	0.246
19	Moss, B	0.234
20	Davis, I	0.233
21	Santana, C	0.231
22	Howard, R	0.223
22	Callaspo, A	0.223
24	Morales, K	0.218
25	Teixeira, M	0.216

Top 10 Fantasy First Basemen: Stolen Bases

RANK	Player	SB
1	Goldschmidt, P	9
2	Alonso, Y	6
2	Medica, T	6
4	Pujols, A	5
4	Santana, C	5
4	Rizzo, A	5
4	Reynolds, M	5
4	Morrison, L	5
9	Loney, J	4
9	Hosmer, E	4
9	Rosales, A	4
12	Freeman, F	3
12	Abreu, J	3
12	Adams, M	3
12	Duda, L	3
12	LaRoche, A	3
12	Mauer, J	3
12	Napoli, M	3
12	Belt, B	3
12	Campbell, E	3
12	Guzman, J	3
22	Encarnacion, E	2
22	Davis, C	2
22	Singleton, J	2
22	Sanchez, G	2
22	Overbay, L	2

Top 25 First Basemen: Total Bases

RANK	Player	Total Bases
1	Abreu, J	323
2	Cabrera, M	320
3	Pujols, A	295
4	Gonzalez, A	285
5	Freeman, F	280
6	Rizzo, A	276
7	Encarnacion, E	261
8	Morneau, J	249
9	Duda, L	247
10	Adams, M	241
11	Santana, C	231
12	Loney, J	228
13	LaRoche, A	225
14	Goldschmidt, P	220
15	Moss, B	219
16	Howard, R	216
17	Jones, G	204
18	Hosmer, E	200
19	Davis, C	182
20	Dunn, A	178
21	Teixeira, M	175
22	Napoli, M	174
23	Mauer, J	169
24	Reynolds, M	149
25	Morrison, L	141

Other Positions:

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

Top 20 Fantasy First Basemen: Runs

RANK	Player	R
1	Cabrera, M	101
2	Freeman, F	93
3	Rizzo, A	89
3	Pujols, A	89
5	Gonzalez, A	83
6	Abreu, J	80
7	Goldschmidt, P	75
7	Encarnacion, E	75
9	Duda, L	74
10	LaRoche, A	73
11	Moss, B	70
12	Santana, C	68
13	Davis, C	65
13	Howard, R	65
15	Morneau, J	62
16	Mauer, J	60
17	Loney, J	59
17	Jones, G	59
19	Teixeira, M	56
20	Adams, M	55

Top 20 Fantasy First Basemen: Home Runs (HR)

RANK	Player	HR
1	Abreu, J	36
2	Encarnacion, E	34
3	Rizzo, A	32
4	Duda, L	30
5	Pujols, A	28
6	Gonzalez, A	27
6	Santana, C	27
8	LaRoche, A	26
8	Davis, C	26
10	Cabrera, M	25
10	Moss, B	25
12	Howard, R	23
13	Teixeira, M	22
13	Dunn, A	22
13	Reynolds, M	22
16	Goldschmidt, P	19
17	Freeman, F	18
18	Morneau, J	17
18	Napoli, M	17
20	Jones, G	15
20	Adams, M	15

Top 20 Fantasy First Basemen: RBI

RANK	Player	RBI
1	Gonzalez, A	116
2	Cabrera, M	109
3	Abreu, J	107
4	Pujols, A	105
5	Encarnacion, E	98
6	Howard, R	95
7	Duda, L	92
8	LaRoche, A	92
9	Santana, C	85
10	Morneau, J	82
11	Moss, B	81
12	Rizzo, A	78
13	Freeman, F	78
14	Davis, C	72
15	Goldschmidt, P	69
16	Loney, J	69
17	Adams, M	68
18	Dunn, A	64
19	Teixeira, M	62
20	Hosmer, E	58