Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Jose Abreu climbs to top of 1B rankings
By Matt Shetler
Coming off perhaps the greatest April for any rookie in MLB history, the question surrounding Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu is should he be the top ranked fantasy first baseman in the game.
Apr 19, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu (79) before the game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Texas won 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
That answer is a resounding YES!
Abreu continued his assault on MLB’s record books — and opposing pitchers — on Sunday, smacking his league-leading 10th homer and driving in his 31st run to become the all-time rookie leader in both categories through the end of April.
That brings a little legitimacy to the question of if Abreu is the best power hitter in all of baseball right now?
I was a little higher on Abreu than most in my preseason fantasy baseball rankings and because of that I ended up with him at decent value in every mixed draft I was in.
With that being said I have ascended the Cuban defector up to the top spot in my recent 1B rankings.
Now 26 games is a small sample size, but I really believe that Abreu is the real deal.
While it’s extremely unlikely he’ll maintain his current pace and wind up with 62 home runs and 193 RBI this season, it’s not out of the question to believe that he can hit over 40 homers and drive in close to 120 runs as a rookie.
With the slow start of the season to some of the games premiere first basemen, it’s hard to not give Abreu the top spot after a month of the season.
He edges out Albert Pujols, who with nine April homers and 22 RBI, has more than shown that he is not only healthy, but back as a real offensive force.
In season rankings are a little different than preseason rankings as they just aren’t solely based on projections. During the season I not only project what a player will do the rest of the season, but also take current numbers and injury concerns into consideration.
For that reason, Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera remains as the third ranked third baseman as I still project him to have a very good season. But with that being said, he drops to No. 3 after being No. 1 in the preseason because of the great starts of Abreu and Pujols, as I feel both of their starts are sustainable.
These rankings are intended to guide you in evaluating and comparing players for the purposes of long-term roster management.
It’s not necessarily about the order of the rankings as much as it is the order as I would own each player the rest of the season. That explains a guy like Prince Fielder, hitting .202 with only two homers and nine RBI still cracking the Top 10. He’s a guy that you can buy low on and still a guy I project to finish with decent umbers, playing in a hitter friendly ballpark.
With that being said, let’s take a look at my Top 30 first basemen as of April 30.
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