Below is a chart of every first baseman ranked and covered in MLB.com's 2008 Fantasy Preview, a
rundown that includes established big leaguers and up-and-coming prospects.
The list features dollar values compiled by our MLB.com staff based on standard 23-man,
$260, 5x5 mixed-league play. We included projected stats for the 2008 season as well as a
one-liner prediction that encapsulates every player's value in 10 words or fewer. This page
will be updated throughout the spring to reflect the impact of inevitable transactions,
injuries and changing job situations.
An indispensable part of the draft-day kit, the cheat sheet can make the difference between
winning and losing your fantasy league. With quick-hitting rankings and forecasts, it'll
help you keep the remaining players on the board in order as the draft wears on. The last
thing you want to be doing is flipping through some magazine when it's your turn to pick.
So play fair, but don't forget your cheat sheet when you head to your draft.
| First Basemen |
TM |
$$ |
Avg |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
Notes |
| Albert Pujols | STL | 34 | .326 | 106 | 34 | 111 | 3 | Ailing right elbow a growing concern. |
| David Ortiz* | BOS | 32 | .304 | 112 | 39 | 132 | 0 | Even injuries couldn't stop Big Papi last year. |
| Ryan Howard | PHI | 31 | .273 | 102 | 54 | 143 | 0 | Could challenge 60 HR, 150 RBIs. |
| Prince Fielder | MIL | 30 | .293 | 104 | 45 | 114 | 5 | Best young power hitter in recent memory. |
| Mark Teixeira | ATL | 29 | .296 | 102 | 40 | 117 | 1 | Entering contract year after big second half, look out. |
| Derrek Lee | CHC | 26 | .301 | 90 | 32 | 98 | 10 | Wrist no longer bothersome, should increase power. |
| Justin Morneau | MIN | 26 | .287 | 91 | 35 | 116 | 1 | Don't read too far into second-half slide. |
| Lance Berkman | HOU | 25 | .284 | 98 | 33 | 110 | 3 | Starts slowly but usually finishes north of 100 RBIs. |
| Garrett Atkins | COL | 25 | .311 | 94 | 27 | 109 | 2 | Last year was no fluke, so expect more of the same. |
| Victor Martinez | CLE | 24 | .300 | 81 | 28 | 100 | 0 | Durable, consistent All-Star in prime of career. |
| Carlos Guillen | DET | 22 | .305 | 98 | 20 | 104 | 11 | Hits well enough at 1B, but better for SS. |
| Travis Hafner | CLE | 22 | .292 | 98 | 27 | 107 | 1 | No sure thing to bounce back from a disappointing '07. |
| Adrian Gonzalez | SD | 22 | .297 | 85 | 28 | 101 | 0 | Power potential limited in PETCO Park. |
| Carlos Pena | TB | 22 | .271 | 81 | 32 | 97 | 2 | Fairy tales rarely followed by good sequels. |
| Paul Konerko | CWS | 21 | .281 | 88 | 34 | 104 | 0 | Good buy-low candidate. |
| Nick Swisher | CWS | 19 | .264 | 108 | 33 | 93 | 5 | Trade to CWS could rekindle power numbers. |
| Alex Gordon | KC | 18 | .278 | 81 | 23 | 84 | 15 | Possible value pick after underwhelming debut. |
| Todd Helton | COL | 17 | .316 | 98 | 20 | 101 | 1 | Steady source of AVG, RBIs. |
| James Loney | LAD | 16 | .313 | 74 | 19 | 94 | 3 | Great rookie year overshadowed by Braun, Tulowitzki. |
| Jim Thome* | CWS | 15 | .261 | 75 | 29 | 86 | 0 | Can still lay down the hammer when healthy. |
| Conor Jackson | ARI | 14 | .306 | 90 | 18 | 84 | 2 | Breakout candidate heading into third full season. |
| Carlos Delgado | NYM | 14 | .272 | 80 | 28 | 94 | 1 | Too soon to throw in the towel. |
| Billy Butler | KC | 13 | .296 | 76 | 18 | 92 | 1 | Budding superstar. |
| Ty Wigginton | HOU | 13 | .272 | 68 | 23 | 87 | 1 | Should enjoy his new park and favorable lineup spot. |
| Adam LaRoche | PIT | 13 | .268 | 76 | 27 | 91 | 0 | Solid second half offers hope for improvement. |
| Jarrod Saltalamacchia | TEX | 12 | .264 | 59 | 18 | 63 | 0 | Talented youngster could top 20 HR. |
| Frank Thomas* | TOR | 12 | .266 | 60 | 25 | 88 | 0 | Revival tour continues. |
| Ryan Garko | CLE | 12 | .275 | 70 | 23 | 83 | 0 | Blossomed into key run producer in '07 |
| Chris Duncan | STL | 12 | .267 | 65 | 28 | 85 | 1 | Return to health to boost power numbers. |
| Mike Jacobs | FLA | 11 | .269 | 65 | 26 | 82 | 2 | Right age to take next step forward. |
| Casey Kotchman | LAA | 11 | .301 | 62 | 13 | 72 | 2 | Power leaves much to be desired but has legit potential. |
| Kevin Youkilis | BOS | 10 | .292 | 94 | 15 | 76 | 3 | No fireworks here, just solid all-around production. |
| Joey Votto | CIN | 7 | .281 | 52 | 17 | 62 | 8 | Here's hoping he wins Cincy's 1B job. |
| Richie Sexson | SEA | 7 | .258 | 65 | 28 | 76 | 1 | Worth another shot in AL-only play. |
| Jason Giambi | NYY | 7 | .247 | 52 | 24 | 70 | 0 | Only if you have health insurance. |
| Aubrey Huff | BAL | 7 | .274 | 55 | 19 | 63 | 3 | Usually doesn't heat up until second half. |
| Lyle Overbay | TOR | 7 | .279 | 61 | 13 | 62 | 2 | Road back won't be easy after two hand surgeries. |
| Chad Tracy | ARI | 6 | .281 | 61 | 12 | 51 | 1 | Must overcome injury, Mark Reynolds to reclaim job. |
| Casey Blake | CLE | 6 | .268 | 71 | 18 | 77 | 5 | Steady but unspectacular vet. |
| Daric Barton* | OAK | 5 | .275 | 80 | 15 | 65 | 2 | Time is now for rookie 1B. |
| Mike Lamb | MIN | 5 | .283 | 61 | 16 | 64 | 0 | Productive platoon player could steal everyday job. |
| Dmitri Young | WAS | 4 | .286 | 58 | 14 | 55 | 0 | Don't expect repeat of '07 magic. |
| Dan Johnson | OAK | 4 | .276 | 55 | 17 | 57 | 0 | Seeds are there, but time is running out in Oakland. |
| Brad Wilkerson | SEA | 3 | .248 | 60 | 23 | 65 | 6 | Injuries robbed him of peak years. |
| Ross Gload | KC | 3 | .308 | 54 | 12 | 56 | 4 | Scrappy contact hitter could surprise. |
| Nomar Garciaparra | LAD | 3 | .281 | 56 | 11 | 52 | 4 | Andy LaRoche's injury offers fading vet new life. |
| Jose Vidro | SEA | 3 | .302 | 65 | 6 | 49 | 0 | Contributes good AVG but little else at this stage. |
| Kevin Millar | BAL | 2 | .263 | 58 | 15 | 63 | 1 | Steady veteran has little upside. |
| Ben Broussard | TEX | 2 | .265 | 44 | 13 | 52 | 2 | Should benefit from Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. |
| Matt Stairs | TOR | 2 | .270 | 43 | 11 | 41 | 1 | Won't receive same opportunities in '08. |
| Kendry Morales | LAA | 2 | .286 | 31 | 7 | 34 | 1 | At-bats hard to come by on deep roster. |
| Scott Hatteberg | CIN | 1 | .283 | 34 | 6 | 33 | 0 | Joey Votto insurance. |
| Nick Johnson | WAS | 1 | .273 | 42 | 7 | 33 | 0 | Coming off two leg surgeries. |
| Dan Ortmeier | SF | 1 | .255 | 44 | 8 | 44 | 13 | First-base job there for taking. |
| Ryan Shealy | KC | 1 | .266 | 34 | 10 | 43 | 1 | Make-or-break season for former sleeper. |
| Marcus Thames | DET | 1 | .255 | 46 | 21 | 43 | 1 | Has power but needs more PT to realize value. |
| Tony Clark | SD | 1 | .253 | 30 | 14 | 40 | 0 | Playing time likely to be limited. |
| Rich Aurilia | SF | 1 | .268 | 35 | 8 | 41 | 1 | Huge home park squashes value. |
| Frank Catalanotto | TEX | 1 | .272 | 44 | 12 | 42 | 2 | On-base skills helps case for PT. |
| Mike Sweeney* | OAK | 1 | .284 | 35 | 9 | 41 | 0 | Vet headed for bench role. |
| Eric Hinske | TB | 1 | .253 | 42 | 10 | 40 | 4 | Young enough to turn around career. |
| Scott Thorman | ATL | 1 | .259 | 23 | 8 | 25 | 1 | Change of scenery couldn't hurt. |
| Josh Phelps | STL | 1 | .273 | 21 | 8 | 27 | 1 | Someone to watch if opportunity arises. |
| Jeff Baker | COL | 1 | .268 | 27 | 8 | 34 | 3 | No openings in potent lineup. |
| Greg Dobbs | PHI | 1 | .278 | 37 | 6 | 36 | 2 | Value squashed by Pedro Feliz signing. |
| Wilson Betemit | NYY | 1 | .266 | 48 | 16 | 49 | 1 | Could make impact if injuries create opportunity. |
| Jorge Cantu | FA | 1 | .271 | 25 | 9 | 33 | 0 | Monster '05 seems like ages ago. |
| Sean Casey | BOS | 1 | .289 | 24 | 3 | 21 | 0 | Contact hitter fading fast. |
| Greg Norton* | SEA | 1 | .246 | 24 | 3 | 24 | 0 | Undone by injuries in '07. |
| Chris Shelton | TEX | 1 | .264 | 36 | 11 | 37 | 2 | New lease on life. |
| Doug Mientkiewicz | PIT | 1 | .275 | 21 | 4 | 21 | 0 | Defensive specialist. |
| Chris Marrero | WAS | 1 | .245 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0 | Rising fast with power to spare. |
| Joe Koshansky | COL | 1 | .259 | 12 | 4 | 16 | 0 | Slugger only needs a shot. |
| Andy Phillips | CIN | 1 | .276 | 25 | 5 | 26 | 1 | Best suited for bench role. |
| Ryan Klesko | FA | 1 | .252 | 26 | 6 | 28 | 2 | Power nearly drained. |
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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