Welcome to the second installment of our "Top 10 Right Now" series - this time focused around first baseman. First base used to be a position where teams would value power over anything else, but as analytics and the trends in player development have been introduced little-by-little, those values have begun to change, as has the role, of the first baseman.
Now, both offense and defense are key components that make up a very good first baseman and many times teams will take less offense at the position, if their first baseman, is a stellar defender. Yet another component of the game that has seemed to change over the years and one that will continue to evolve as time moves forward.
With that being said, here are the Top 10 First Baseman in the game right now:
1. Paul Goldschmidt (St. Louis Cardinals) - The Arizona Diamondbacks lost a true gem this offseason when they decided to trade first baseman, Paul Goldschmidt, to the St. Louis Cardinals. Goldschmidt is a tremendous leader both on and off the field, does plenty of work in the local community, and will certainly be someone that Cardinals fans can find easy to cheer for this coming season. Besides all of that, Goldschmidt is very durable, as he has played in at least 155 games, each of the past four seasons and only Edwin Encarncion, has more home runs over the past three seasons, than Goldschmidt. Great stats for a guy that was drafted in the 8th round of the 2009 Amateur Draft!
2. Freddie Freeman (Atlanta Braves) - In a perfect world, Freddie Freeman would be tied with Paul Goldschmidt, as the best two first baseman in all of baseball, but since this is a ranking list he comes in just a notch below. Consistency is a huge part of Freeman's game and you can't go wrong with the power that he has put up over the last couple of seasons. Freeman finished the 2018 season batting: .309/.388/.505, over the span of 707 plate appearances, with a career high 191 hits and 44 doubles along with 23 home runs and 98 RBI. Freeman will once again be a vital part of the 2019 Atlanta Braves roster, one that looks to return to the postseason, and build upon the success they experienced last year.
3. Joey Votto (Cincinnati Reds) - Here is yet another name that is tremendously difficult to put in the three spot, but as Reds fans refer to him, Joey Votto simply continues to be Vottomatic year in and year out. Joey Votto will turn 36 in September and while he has experienced a bit of a drop in his overall power numbers, he continues to be a beast when it comes to on-base percentage. Dating back to the 2014 season, Votto has finished every season with an on-base percentage over .400 and definitely knows how to take a walk when it matters the most. When you combine his walk totals over that same span (2015-2018), he took 493 walks over 2,702 plate appearances - good enough for a walk percentage of 18.2%. Now, thats Vottomatic!
4. Anthony Rizzo (Chicago Cubs) - Even though last season was a down year overall for Rizzo, you still have to like his overall makeup and the numbers that he puts up when he is healthy and on the field. Rizzo didn't hit more than 30 home runs last season, but he did record over 100 RBI for the fourth season in a row, and won the second Gold Glove Award of his big league career, which is a credit to the defense that he provides over at first base. The Chicago Cubs continue to buy into Anthony Rizzo as well and would certainly welcome a return to his previous offensive numbers, something that could definitely happen, given that he is right in the middle of his peak at 29 years old.
5. Max Muncy (Los Angeles Dodgers) - It was certainly a breakout season for Dodgers first baseman, Max Muncy, in 2018 and it doesn't look like that will change anytime soon. Muncy is probably the guy with the highest upside moving forward on this list and it wouldn't be a surprise if he once again ended his 2019 campaign with some serious power numbers. Max Muncy concluded the 2018 season batting: .263/.391/.582 over 481 plate appearances with 35 home runs and 79 RBI and provided the Dodgers with a stellar WAR value of 4.2. Muncy is sort of a late bloomer at the age of 28 years old, but proved last year he could be a workhorse and is solid pillar for the Dodgers at first base, moving forward.
6. Matt Olson (Oakland Athletics) - Another player, who had a terrific 2018 campaign was Oakland A's first baseman, Matt Olson. Olson appeared in all 162 games for the A's and certainly proved that he could provide a lethal tandem, alongside A's third baseman Matt Chapman, in Oaklands lineup. You mind as well nickname it "The Matt Show" if you're an A's fan because both Matt Olson and Matt Chapman are the future pillars of the team. Besides appearing in all 162 games, Matt Olson finished the season with a 116 OPS+ and won a Gold Glove Award, which proves that he can be lethal on both sides of the baseball.
7. Jesus Aguilar (Milwaukee Brewers) - Jesus Aguilar is a guy that sort of gets lost in the shuffle nationally when talking about who the Top 10 First Baseman in the game are right now, but he certainly deserves a spot. Aguilar, whose nickname is Dino among the Brew Crew's fan base, has solidified his argument to be Milwaukee's primary first baseman and had a career year last season with 35 home runs and 108 RBI. When you combine those values together, along with Aguilar's on-base and slugging percentage, you get an OPS of .890. Aguilar is another guy, who is right in the middle of his peak, so don't be shocked if he builds upon his 2018 campaign and smashes the ball even more this season!
8. Rhys Hoskins (Philadelphia Phillies) - Rhys Hoskins is finally playing his natural position at first base, instead of being stuck out in left field, and that is likely going to pay off some huge dividends for Hoskins and the Phillies this coming season. Even though Hoskins got very little attention last season, he still finished the year appearing in 153 games and even has 87 walks among his 660 plate appearances. At 25 years old, there is still more development that Hoskins will undergo, but he is a significant pillar for the Phillies moving forward and someone that fits the philosophy of the Fightin' Phils quite well.
9. Jose Abreu (Chicago White Sox) - Although things are a bit cloudy right now for the Chicago White Sox given that they are in a rebuild, Jose Abreu continues to provide stability on the playing field, along with, some nice veteran leadership in the clubhouse. Dating back to the 2015 regular season, Abreu ranks 10th among first baseman in BABIP (.322) over 2,591 plate appearances and has an overall Offensive rating of (72.8), over that period, good enough for 7th place on the list. There's a reason why the White Sox have yet to trade Abreu and it's likely because of those veteran intangibles that benefit a young, rebuilding team.
10. Miguel Cabrera (Detroit Tigers) - Even though Miguel Cabrera hasn't been his vintage self for a while, it's hard to not to include him on a Top 10 list. Over the past four seasons, "Miggy" still ranks 8th in walk percentage (12.2%), has a .498 slugging percentage - good enough for 8th place among first baseman, and the fifth highest Weighted On-Base Average (wOBA) over that span (.375). The Tigers are likely wondering what exact contributions they might get from Cabrera this coming season, given that he unfortunately had to miss the entire second half of last season recovering from a ruptured left bicep tendon, but regardless, Miggy will always represent the Detroit Tigers and be there for the youngsters through thick and thin.
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