Target 25 Home Runs and a .750 OPS at First Base

Sep 19, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Detroit Tigers first basemen Miguel Cabrera (24) slides into home plate past Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (13) to score a run during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

First base is one of the most loaded positions in fantasy baseball because of the amount of top-flight talent.  Beyond the elite first basemen, many of the players still provide very solid power for your fantasy lineup.  As a baseline, I would target first basemen that have a very realistic chance to hit 25 or more home runs and eclipse a .750 OPS.

Since not everyone can acquire a Miguel Cabrera or a Paul Goldschmidt, you do not have to look far to acquire a player with nice pop at the position.  In 2014, 15 first base eligible players hit at least 25 home runs.  Seven more first base eligible players hit between 21 and 23 home runs.  Those 22 players do not even include Paul Goldschmidt (19), Freddie Freeman (18), Mark Trumbo (14), Joey Votto (6), and Prince Fielder (3).

All of those five batters listed except for Freeman missed significant time this season due to injuries.  Joey Votto is the only one of the four oft-injured players who likely would not have hit 25 home runs had he remained healthy.

Basically, it is very easy to see that your first basemen has a very strong chance to hit 25 or more homers next season.  However, simply hitting this benchmark is not enough because this power may have an unimpressive OPS, which generally means that their batting average and on-base percentage is not what you are hoping for.

The OPS is what really separates Lucas Duda from Ryan Howard and Adam LaRoche from Chris Davis.  Duda and LaRoche are worth far more than the roughly once a week home run you get from lower OPS batters.  They will be able to provide more consistent contributions in batting average and scoring runs.  Howard and Davis still offer decent production because of the long ball alone, but getting a first baseman who offers more than HR’s should be coveted.

With that in mind, I obviously love all of the elite options, but who doesn’t?  After going through the consensus top four first basemen, I really like Anthony Rizzo, Carlos Santana, Albert Pujols, Adrian Gonzalez, Lucas Duda, and Adam LaRoche.  I think Duda and LaRoche will provide the greatest return on investment because their numbers dwarf their expected ADP.

Besides these six bats, there are plenty of great options at such a loaded position, so do not be afraid to grab two or more first basemen and fill in them in your utility spots.  You can land a stud like Miguel Cabrera in the first round and come back with players like Rizzo and Gonzalez because their values could be too good to pass up.  Oftentimes, a position rich with talent will provide the best value.