Power is abundant throughout our rankings, but only a handful of 1Bs really steal bases (Paul Goldschmidt, Wil Myers, Ian Desmond). You can find some decent averages outside of the top 10, but you’re more likely to find a sub-.250 slugger. Batted-ball luck will go a long way in determining the final rankings of these types of guys, as even a 10-point swing in batting average makes a difference.
MORE FANTASY BASEBALL: 2018 draft cheat sheet
Age and injuries are heavily factored into our rankings. We’re buying the Hoskins/Matt Olson breakouts from last year, but we’re a little more leery of Ryan Zimmerman’s bounceback. Even Yonder Alonso, Logan Morrison, and Justin Smoak, 30, 30 and 31, respectively, seem more likely to repeat than Kendrys Morales, Albert Pujols or Hanley Ramirez do of having another big year. Some fantasy owners will opt for the proven consistency even if it comes with a lower ceiling; others will go for the upside. All we really know is that owners from both groups will be burned.
But, again, there are enough fall-back options, both on draft day and on the waiver wire throughout the season, that you shouldn’t be struggling at first base for too long. Just follow the power.
2018 FANTASY BASEBALL RANKINGS:Catcher | Second | Third | Shortstop | Outfield | Starter | Reliever
2018 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: First base
Rankings based on average/runs/HRs/RBIs/SBs. Eligibility based on Yahoo’s default settings.
- Not eligible at this position on draft day but expected to play there during the season
