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Fantasy baseball 2020 tiered first basemen rankings

By Bill Pivetz

ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 04: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves reacts during the NLDS Game 2 between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park on Friday, October 4, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 04: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves reacts during the NLDS Game 2 between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park on Friday, October 4, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
(Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images) /

This tier features six first basemen that are consistent in what they do, whether it’s power, contact or being unreliable.

Eric Hosmer, SD

Hosmer has been consistently inconsistent throughout his career. His batting average went up and down every year while hitting for decent power in Kansas City. Hosmer’s first two years in San Diego haven’t lived up to the hype.

In those two seasons, he’s combined for 40 home runs, 168 RBI and a .259 average. The only good thing about drafting Hosmer is his durability. He averaged 155 games played over the last eight years. Hosmer will get to 95 RBIs, 70 runs and 23 home runs.

Luke Voit, NYY

The first of two Yankees players on this list, Voit is the team’s true first baseman. In his first full season in New York, Voit hit 21 home runs, 62 RBIs and .263 in 118 games.

He wasn’t going to repeat the numbers from the small sample size of 2018, but what he did last year was respectable. The Yankees dealt with more injuries than any other team, hurting the value of everyone in the lineup.

Voit is a good candidate for a 30/90/.260 line this season.

Yasmani Grandal, CWS

Grandal is one of three White Sox players on this list. Grandal played 20 games at first base last season, meeting the minimum requirements for qualification in ESPN leagues. I already talked about Grandal’s fantasy value in my catcher rankings.

He’ll be drafted as a top catcher before someone even thinks about drafting him as their first baseman.

Edwin Encarnacion, CWS

Encarnacion will play the 2020 season with the White Sox as their DH. He played enough games at first base between Seattle and New York to earn the eligibility this season.

Encarnacion has hit at least 32 home runs in eight straight seasons. With the lack of elite pitching in the AL Central and the hitter-friendly parks, the odds of him doing it again this season are high.

While he won’t reach a .270 batting average again, hitting 35 home runs is a nice consolation prize.

Christian Walker, AZ

In his first season as the starting first baseman, Walker had a good season. He hit 29 home runs, 73 RBIs and .259 in 152 games. Even with the humidor in Chase Field, Walker was able to hit 16 homers with a .254 average.

He had a very similar stat line to the Diamondbacks former first baseman, Paul Goldschmidt. Arizona made a few improvements to the offense, which will give Walker a few for chances to drive in some runs.

DJ LeMahieu, NYY

LeMahieu was just one of three Yankees to play in 140 games last season and he led the team with 145 games. He qualifies at first, second and third base so he’ll be mentioned two more times.

In his first season in New York, he hit a career-high 26 home runs and 102 RBIs while hitting .327. Whether it was the hitter-friendly confines of Yankee Stadium, the improved lineup or the new baseballs that helped his performance no one will know. But, as long as LeMahieu continues to hit in New York, he will be a top-10 hitter at any position.

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