Fantasy baseball 2020 tiered first basemen rankings
By Bill Pivetz
This tier features some players with a lot of fantasy upside, but there could be some regression as well. Draft with a grain of salt.
Yuli Gurriel, HOU
Gurriel was another first baseman with a huge breakout season. He put up decent numbers in his first two seasons but last year was the fantasy value boost we wanted. Gurriel hit 31 home runs with 104 RBIs and a .298 average. Having a player that can contribute to four of the five major categories is important.
The Astros offense is the same as last season, so I don’t expect to see any change in performance. The only negative is that Yuli is already 35 years old. In redraft leagues, that’s okay but keeper and dynasty league owners should be wary.
Carlos Santana, CLE
After a bad 2018 season, Santana was able to rebound nicely in 2019 as he finished with a .281 average, 34 home runs and 93 RBIs. He’s getting up there in age as well, so we may see a stat line closer to 2018 than 2019.
The Indians still have the core of the offense. Francisco Lindor hasn’t been traded yet and the front office added Cesar Hernandez and Domingo Santana to replace Jason Kipnis and Yasiel Puig. This Santana is slated to hit third and in a hitter-friendly AL Central, he’s a solid draft pick in the 12th round.
Rhys Hoskins, PHI
Hoskins saw a decline in his power numbers and batting average. He did take more walks to help his OBP. Hoskins was still able to hit 29 home runs and 85 RBIs. Though, striking out 176 times does not help.
The Phillies will get back Andrew McCutchen for the year and acquired Didi Gregorius as another power left-handed bat. Hoskins will hit between Bryce Harper and Gregorius in the hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park.
Trey Mancini, BAL
Despite what the final record said, Mancini did everything he could to help the Orioles offense score some runs. He hit a career-high 35 home runs and 97 RBIs with a .291 average as the No. 2 or 3 batter.
There are a couple of Orioles hitters I like but as a whole, this offense is not going to impress many people. Along with Mancini, Renato Nunez and Hanser Alberto are two that could find their way on my teams. Mancini also has outfield eligibility. I don’t expect him to hit 35 homers again, but 30 with a .277 average is acceptable.
Josh Bell, PIT
Looking at his 2019 stat line, Bell had a great season but his 2019 could be broken up into two distinct halves. In the first half, he hit .302 with 27 home runs and 84 RBIs. After the break, Bell hit .233 with 10 homers and 32 RBIs. In Roto leagues that’s fine but in head-to-head, he was a liability in the second half.
The Pirates traded away Starling Marte, the only other reliable hitter of this offense. I’d still like to have Bell on my team but with little support, his RBIs and runs will drop. There is some risk but the floor is a 30/75/.270 season.
Max Muncy, LAD
Muncy has hit 35 home runs in back-to-back seasons. While there was a dip in batting average, something that happened league-wide, he drove in 19 more runs. He scored 101 runs last season which can be attributed to his 90 walks.
The Dodgers have one of the best lineups in the league. Muncy hitting between Mookie Betts and Justin Turner is a good spot to see some good pitches and drive in runs. Muncy will enter this season with first, second and third base eligibility, boosting his value.