Fantasy baseball 2018: 3 first basemen to target late

There are high-upside first base targets available in the late rounds. You just have to know where to look.

This season, I want one of the big-eight first basemen, and in roto leagues, I can stretch it to the big-nine by including Wil Myers. Sometimes, however, it is just not possible to get one of these sluggers on the roster.

That is not to suggest that if you miss out on one of the elite bats that you should wait until pick 300 to fill your first base slot. The position is very deep, and there are plenty of great options at every part of the draft.

We have three first basemen that could return excellent value for their draft position, especially in deep leagues, AL/NL-only formats and leagues with MI and IF slots.

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Jose Martinez (ADP 322)
Last season the Cardinals had two players breakout in their age-28 season. Tommy Pham rightly took all of the attention with his stunning campaign of 23 home runs, 25 stolen bases and .306 AVG. Much less attention was given to Jose Martinez.

In only 272 at-bats, the Venezuelan slugged .518 including 14 home runs and 13 doubles. Like Pham, he also hit over .300.

Martinez is an on-base machine with .392 OBP in Triple-A and .386 OBP in the majors, helped by his double-digit percentage walk rate.

Despite his talent to wait for the pitch and then power it to all parts of the ballpark, it looked like Martinez would need to scratch around for playing time as the fourth outfielder and backup first baseman in the stacked Cardinals lineup.

However, if the depth chart is to be believed, then Matt Carpenter will shift over to third base to allow Martinez to see the majority of at-bats at first base. He could offer sensational value this season.

Brandon Belt (ADP 303)
Just because the annually anticipated breakout by Giants’ first baseman Brandon Belt has never materialized, does not mean you should ignore him in fantasy baseball drafts this season. The 29-year-old still offers a high floor with the potential to return excellent value for a pick in the 300s.

The left-hander had tied his career-high of 18 home runs and was on pace to set highs in runs and RBI when a blow to the head from an Anthony Banda curveball on August 4 halted his season. It was the fourth concussion of Belt’s career, and we’ve all seen how a concussion can affect a player.

Fortunately, the initial signs at Spring Training suggest that there are no ill-effects as Belt stepped into the batter’s box to face live pitching without fear.

Although Belt has not risen to the heights hoped by the fantasy baseball world, he offers reliable production, especially in points and OBP leagues where his doubles-power and ability to take a walk are rewarded.

The Giants will undoubtedly be better than last season, and already their lineup looks more potent with Belt hitting fifth behind the new acquisitions of Andrew McCutchen and Evan Longoria, and of course the talismanic Buster Posey.

The projections systems expect at least 20 home runs with 75 runs and 75 RBI, although he was on pace for 26 home runs and 92 runs before the head injury.

If you have already taken a few risks in the draft, then rounding out your roster with the consistency of Belt could return sneaky value for his draft position.

Yonder Alonso (ADP 359)
Sometimes in a draft, you scroll down the list of players still available and stumble across a player that just makes you shake your head in disbelief.

In 319 at-bats for the Athletics, Yonder Alonso hit 22 home runs with .866 OPS in the best stretch of production of his life. The breakout was due to a change in his approach to add extra loft into his swing. In his final year with the Padres, Alonso was hitting just 27.8% flyballs. Compare that to the 45.5% last season with the Athletics, and you can see why he became the poster boy for the flyball revolution.

He failed to maintain his elite production after the trade to the Mariners, but he will hit in the middle of the potent Indians’ lineup with their elite on-base talent. With a pick outside of the top-350, Alonso looks too good to ignore.

If you want to go even deeper, then at pick 687 is A.J. Reed. He has destroyed Triple-A for two straight years but is unable to replicate his production in the majors. The Quad-A label seems appropriate, but the same was said about Chris Davis and Justin Smoak before their breakouts. Reed might get the first base job in Houston while Yuli Gurriel is on the DL and serves his suspension. If Reed hits, he won’t be demoted again.

Next: Draft strategy: Fill infield first & load up on pitching

All three players are great late-round picks in leagues with a corner infield slot. If you just have one UT/DH, then Belt and Martinez have dual 1B/OF-eligibility in several formats. If I’m playing in a deep single-season league, then Alonso with guaranteed playing time in the stacked Indians’ lineup will be the player I target.