Tonight MLB Network will continue it's Top 10 series and focus on the Top 10 First Baseman in the game right now. With that being said, we all have our own opinions about who should rank number 1 or who should fall into the Top 5 category for first baseman based on either last season's performance, the players overall MLB track record, or some other element of their game that you might decide to evaluate.
First base is typically a position that has long been dominated by someone who can hit above-average and handle a critical position. You're not going to find the most powerful hitters in the game, such as Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, or J.D. Martinez, but you are still going to get a very productive hitter and one that knows how to get on base.
Here are the Top 5 First Baseman in the game right now.
1. Joey Votto - Cincinnati Reds. - Joey Votto has to be the most underrated player in all of baseball after the type of season he had last year and his entire MLB track record. Votto finished the year with the highest OBP (.454) among first baseman over the span of 707 plate appearances and also led first baseman in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) at (7.5). In addition to those stellar numbers, Votto also knows how to take a walk when its necessary after finishing last year with (134) walks which was first among first baseman. Furthermore, when you look at the past five seasons, Joey Votto has consistently been the best of the best. Over that span, he has put together a Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) rate of (162), which was first among those at that position, along with a cumulative WAR of (31.9) over that time. Furthermore, Joey Votto has been extremely valuable over the past 5 seasons in Weighted On-Base Average, or wOBA, with a wOBA of (.415) over 3,552 plate appearances. Votto might not always be the best fielder, based on his fielding metrics among those at first base, but he knows how to put the ball in play during the right situation and take a walk when its necessary.
2. Paul Goldschmidt - Arizona Diamondbacks. - Paul Goldschmidt has become a franchise icon for the Arizona Diamondbacks and a staple among the Dbacks lineup. Goldy, as Dback fans refer to him, finished last season tied 4th, with Joey Votto and Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals, in home runs with (36) over 665 plate appearances and finished second, to only Joey Votto, in OBP (.404) over that span. Like Votto, Goldy also knows when to take a walk and is usually very productive at the plate. You could argue that Goldschmidt could be the best first baseman in the league, but one thing that is holding him back is how much he struggled down the stretch into September last season thanks to a nagging right elbow. Goldy finished September hitting: .175/.256/.313 over 80 at bats with only 14 hits, 3 home runs, 11 RBI, 9 walks, and 24 strikeouts. However, don't discount how valuable Goldschmidt has been from a cumulative WAR perspective over the past 5 years (30.9), which ranks only second to Joey Votto, and from a base running perspective. Dating back to 2012, no first baseman has stolen more bases than Paul Goldschmidt, who has stolen 113, over 3,841 plate appearances.
3. Anthony Rizzo - Chicago Cubs. - Anthony Rizzo is a tremendous first baseman because of his offensive and defensive abilities. Over 691 plate appearances last season, Rizzo finished the year with the fourth highest OBP among first baseman (.392), ranked 8th with (32) home runs, and second, to only Paul Goldschmidt, with (109) RBI. Furthermore, over the past 5 seasons dating back to 2012 with the Chicago Cubs, Rizzo is 7th among first baseman with a wRC+ of (134) and has a WAR of (24.0) over that span which puts him 5th on the list. One aspect of Anthony Rizzo's game that makes him standout from, Joey Votto and Paul Goldschmidt, relates to his defense. Among first baseman, over the past 5 seasons, Rizzo ranks first with a Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) rate of (56) and has an Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) of (35.1) which also puts him first. Both DRS and UZR are important fielding sabermetric terms because they measure how well a player can field the ball and based on these numbers alone, Rizzo is elite. From a national perspective, Anthony Rizzo is a bit underrated it seems, but he was a huge reason why the Chicago Cubs were World Series Champions just two years ago.
4. Miguel Cabrera - Detroit Tigers. - Even though Miguel Cabrera, otherwise known as Miggy, struggled severely last season and had an off-year, he still ranks among the Top 5 first baseman in the league. At 34 years old, Cabrera finished last season hitting: .249/.329/.399 over the span of 529 plate appearances with 117 hits, 16 home runs, 60 RBI, 54 walks, and 110 strikeouts. Certainly, not Miggy like numbers though by any means. Based on On-Base Percentage, Miggy's (.329) OBP put him 19th among first baseman and his (16) home runs tied him with CJ Cron for 29th best. While Miggy might be hitting that ever elusive aging curve, he has still been a valuable asset to the Detroit Tigers and is easily their franchise icon, dating back to 2008, when he started playing with the organization. In the bigger picture, Miggy ranks first among first baseman in slugging percentage (.549), second behind, only Joey Votto, in wRC+ (154), and third in WAR (27.9). Based on current projections, it looks like Miggy is expected to rebound this coming season. Computer projections currently have him hitting: .290/.372/.505 over 630 plate appearances with 29 home runs and 94 RBI.
5. Brandon Belt - San Francisco Giants. - Even though Brandon Belt dealt with concussion symptoms for almost the entire season last year, he has still been one of the most valuable first baseman. His measly batting line of: .241/.355/.469 over 451 plate appearances last season is by far not attractive, but it's not as bad as it could have been given the circumstances. However, over the past 5 seasons, Belt has been very good from an offensive and defensive standpoint. Belt doesn't shine in home runs due to the ballpark he plays in (AT&T Park), but he's got a wRC+ of (129), which is 8th best, over that span along with a (17.6) WAR which ranks 9th best. In terms of defense, Belt ranks fourth in Defensive Runs Saved (40), fourth best among first baseman, and is third in Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) at (29.0). The Giraffe, as Brandon Belt has been called throughout the years by Giants fans and those around baseball, has become an icon for the Giants and is one of their homegrown players. Belt, who made his debut in 2011 with the team, played a pivotal role in helping San Francisco to win the World Series in 2012, 2014, and 2016 and is arguably among the Top 5 first baseman in the game today.
Here are the remaining first baseman who rank among the Top 10 on my list.
6. Freddie Freeman - Atlanta Braves
7. Eric Hosmer - Formerly with the Royals/Current Free Agent
8. Jose Abreu - Chicago White Sox
9. Joe Mauer - Minnesota Twins
10. Ryan Zimmerman - Washington Nationals
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