Below is a chart of every first baseman ranked and covered in MLB.com's 2009 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 2009 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 | 41 | .340 | 118 | 41 | 121 | 7 | Already the best, now with a healthy elbow. |
| Miguel Cabrera | DET | 34 | .312 | 98 | 39 | 123 | 2 | Adjustment to AL complete, primed for career year. |
| Mark Teixeira | NYY | 31 | .302 | 109 | 35 | 124 | 1 | Consistent slugger gets prime spot in Yankees lineup. |
| Lance Berkman | HOU | 29 | .303 | 99 | 31 | 109 | 11 | Reliable enough to overcome second-half slump. |
| Ryan Howard | PHI | 29 | .269 | 99 | 49 | 133 | 1 | Bank on massive HR, RBI totals. |
| David Ortiz* | BOS | 26 | .298 | 102 | 36 | 116 | 2 | Healthy and ready to rebound with Big Papi numbers. |
| Justin Morneau | MIN | 26 | .297 | 95 | 29 | 117 | 1 | Homers should rebound to MVP-season level. |
| Prince Fielder | MIL | 25 | .287 | 94 | 38 | 109 | 5 | May not hit 50 jacks, but entering his prime. |
| Adrian Gonzalez | SD | 23 | .285 | 99 | 32 | 105 | 0 | Should offer big-time production despite limited support. |
| Carlos Pena | TB | 22 | .263 | 88 | 35 | 109 | 1 | Should challenge for 40 homers again. |
| Derrek Lee | CHC | 21 | .293 | 95 | 23 | 88 | 7 | Big-time power gone, but sufficient skills remain. |
| Joey Votto | CIN | 21 | .292 | 79 | 27 | 95 | 9 | Youngster already a polished offensive performer. |
| Chris Davis | TEX | 21 | .274 | 91 | 37 | 105 | 6 | Primed to emerge as big-time masher. |
| Kevin Youkilis | BOS | 21 | .298 | 90 | 22 | 92 | 4 | Breakout not supported by underlying stats. |
| Aubrey Huff | BAL | 19 | .293 | 81 | 25 | 93 | 3 | Don't pay for '08 production. |
| Adam Dunn | WSH | 18 | .246 | 97 | 39 | 99 | 4 | Reliable source of elite power numbers. |
| Carlos Delgado | NYM | 18 | .264 | 86 | 33 | 104 | 1 | Wowed in '08, but decline is inevitable. |
| Garrett Atkins | COL | 18 | .289 | 83 | 19 | 94 | 2 | Must improve road numbers, plate discipline. |
| Paul Konerko | CWS | 16 | .281 | 84 | 31 | 91 | 1 | Undervalued source of pop. |
| Adam LaRoche | PIT | 16 | .279 | 76 | 29 | 87 | 1 | Slow starter now in contract year. |
| Hank Blalock | TEX | 15 | .284 | 70 | 23 | 78 | 2 | Good health, strong '08 finish forebode breakout. |
| James Loney | LAD | 14 | .295 | 75 | 16 | 88 | 5 | Gaudy RBI totals masked regression, but upside remains. |
| Jason Giambi | OAK | 13 | .253 | 69 | 28 | 81 | 1 | Could be bargain slugger with return to Oakland. |
| Jim Thome* | CWS | 13 | .254 | 86 | 31 | 83 | 1 | Power numbers should remain strong. |
| Pablo Sandoval | SF | 12 | .308 | 81 | 19 | 92 | 1 | Value boosted by catcher eligibility. |
| Jorge Cantu | FLA | 10 | .270 | 65 | 18 | 73 | 3 | All-or-nothing approach makes for streaky performance. |
| Todd Helton | COL | 10 | .304 | 76 | 14 | 67 | 0 | Could be solid mid-tier option if back problems resolved. |
| Mike Jacobs | KC | 10 | .257 | 60 | 27 | 80 | 1 | Struggles vs. LHP limit upside. |
| Conor Jackson | ARI | 10 | .296 | 92 | 17 | 81 | 13 | Quality bat still looking to develop power. |
| Billy Butler | KC | 10 | .295 | 67 | 17 | 73 | 1 | Time's ticking for former top prospect. |
| Casey Kotchman | ATL | 9 | .287 | 72 | 15 | 77 | 1 | Exceptional contact hitter has yet to develop power. |
| Ryan Garko | CLE | 9 | .281 | 65 | 18 | 82 | 1 | Needs to carry strong '08 finish to '09. |
| Nick Swisher | NYY | 9 | .250 | 77 | 24 | 74 | 2 | Versatility helps starting chances with NYY. |
| Travis Hafner* | CLE | 8 | .267 | 62 | 21 | 71 | 2 | Unlikely to regain superstar stroke. |
| Russell Branyan | SEA | 8 | .248 | 53 | 31 | 74 | 4 | Could emerge as '09 version of Jack Cust. |
| Kendry Morales | LAA | 7 | .288 | 74 | 18 | 77 | 1 | Promising prospect may get 1B opportunity. |
| Lyle Overbay | TOR | 7 | .277 | 71 | 16 | 72 | 1 | Unlikely to reproduce numbers from peak seasons. |
| Chad Tracy | ARI | 3 | .276 | 58 | 15 | 67 | 0 | Should bounce back if healthy thanks to great home park. |
| Daric Barton | OAK | 2 | .266 | 69 | 13 | 61 | 2 | Offers more potential than production right now. |
| Wilson Betemit | CWS | 2 | .263 | 47 | 16 | 45 | 1 | Power could help in deep leagues. |
| Chris Duncan | STL | 1 | .254 | 58 | 18 | 71 | 4 | Back in LF after down year. |
| Eric Hinske | PIT | 2 | .252 | 50 | 14 | 47 | 6 | Versatility, pop help in deeper formats. |
| Ronnie Belliard | WSH | 2 | .281 | 51 | 12 | 54 | 3 | Consistent middle-infield option miscast at first base. |
| Nick Johnson | WSH | 2 | .272 | 54 | 14 | 49 | 5 | On-base machine can't stay healthy. |
| Gaby Sanchez | FLA | 2 | .271 | 43 | 10 | 57 | 5 | On-base machine could claim 1B job in Florida. |
| Oscar Salazar | BAL | 1 | .277 | 48 | 14 | 55 | 4 | Minor league journeyman could earn sleeper value. |
| Ryan Shealy | KC | 1 | .278 | 45 | 13 | 58 | 1 | Minor League bopper hoping to steal at-bats. |
| Travis Ishikawa | SF | 1 | .262 | 30 | 13 | 38 | 1 | Offers promising power potential with regular PT. |
| Kevin Millar | TOR | 1 | .249 | 43 | 9 | 45 | 1 | Playing time, production to drop in TOR. |
| Frank Thomas* | FA | 1 | .269 | 31 | 13 | 37 | 0 | Might not get third chance at comeback. |
| Dmitri Young | WSH | 1 | .283 | 31 | 9 | 40 | 0 | Regular playing days likely over. |
| Jeff Bailey | BOS | 1 | .255 | 46 | 11 | 41 | 2 | Little room for Minor League journeyman in Boston. |
| Joe Koshansky | TEX | 1 | .246 | 38 | 12 | 40 | 1 | Power prospect buried on Rangers depth chart. |
| Michael Aubrey | CLE | 1 | .256 | 20 | 6 | 25 | 1 | Injury-prone prospect running out of chances. |
| Richie Sexson | FA | 1 | .250 | 30 | 13 | 32 | 0 | Former big bopper could latch on in platoon role. |
| John Bowker | SF | 1 | .253 | 48 | 14 | 56 | 1 | Poor plate discipline limits value. |
| Cody Ransom | NYY | 1 | .247 | 23 | 6 | 21 | 4 | A-Rod injury opens door for Minor League journeyman. |
| Rich Aurilia | SF | 1 | .261 | 44 | 11 | 49 | 2 | Best suited to play solely vs. LHP. |
| Shelley Duncan | FA | 1 | .245 | 24 | 9 | 28 | 0 | One-dimensional slugger waiting for next opportunity. |
| Ross Gload | FLA | 1 | .279 | 45 | 4 | 31 | 4 | Non-factor first baseman has minimal power. |
| Kory Casto | WSH | 1 | .239 | 43 | 9 | 45 | 4 | Showed power in Minors, may need change of scenery. |
| Darin Erstad | HOU | 1 | .256 | 35 | 3 | 29 | 3 | Provides limited value even with regular PT. |
| Doug Mientkiewicz | LAD | 1 | .267 | 41 | 6 | 39 | 2 | Transitioning to next life as new Dave Magadan. |
| Logan Morrison | FLA | 1 | .269 | 12 | 3 | 14 | 0 | Great pure hitter could reach bigs in '09 |
| Daniel Ortmeier | COL | 1 | .247 | 40 | 8 | 39 | 9 | Aging prospect yet to develop power. |
| Greg Norton | ATL | 1 | .237 | 19 | 6 | 32 | 0 | Pinch-hitting specialist bears minimal value off bench. |
| Frank Catalanotto | TEX | 1 | .282 | 48 | 8 | 41 | 1 | Needs to regain pop to hold onto PT. |
| Josh Phelps | SF | 1 | .272 | 31 | 8 | 37 | 1 | Right-handed-hitting insurance for Travis Ishikawa. |
| Bryan LaHair | SEA | 1 | .257 | 24 | 3 | 23 | 1 | Lacks offensive skills for first base. |
| Kila Ka'aihue | KC | 1 | .264 | 10 | 5 | 19 | 0 | Future clouded by arrival of Mike Jacobs. |
| Scott Hatteberg | FA | 1 | .271 | 26 | 6 | 28 | 1 | Contact hitter with on-base skills looking for job. |
| Juan Miranda | NYY | 1 | .250 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | Mark Teixeira signing blocks path to Bronx. |
| Kyle Blanks | SD | 1 | .273 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 0 | Burgeoning offensive force blocked by Adrian Gonzalez. |
| Lars Anderson | BOS | 1 | .300 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | Blue-chipper could hit Boston this year. |
| Sean Doolittle | OAK | 1 | .250 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | Power stroke has developed more quickly than expected. |
| Miguel Cairo | PHI | 1 | .254 | 29 | 0 | 21 | 4 | Provides little more than INF depth in PHI. |
| Dan Johnson | JPN | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | "Quadruple-A" hitter takes power, patience to Japan. |
| Jason Botts* | JPN | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Erstwhile prospect piling up strikeouts in Japan. |
| Jose Vidro* | FA | 1 | .272 | 26 | 4 | 21 | 1 | Offensive collapse sudden and complete. |
| Mike Sweeney | KC | 1 | .260 | 19 | 5 | 23 | 0 | Five-time All-Star may be done due to injuries. |
| Aaron Boone | HOU | 1 | -- | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Heart surgery shelves him for '09 season. |
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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