Fantasy Baseball 1B Rankings, Dollar Values 2023: Top players, sleepers at first base

With Major League Baseball’s opening day rapidly approaching, the time has come for fantasy baseball owners to start planning their draft strategies for the 2023 season. Many opt to anchor their teams with home runs and RBIs, which often translates to grabbing multiple first basemen early to plug into the 1B, corner infield, and utility spots. Today we will go over the top sluggers, best sleepers, and deep value plays with our 2023 first basemen rankings and dollar values. 

The elite names at the top of the position almost go without saying. Not many players in all of baseball can offer fantastic across-the-board contributions like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Paul Goldschmidt, and Freddie Freeman. Pete Alonso also packs as much of a consistent home run punch as anyone in the MLB not named Aaron Judge. Matt Olson enjoyed a solid first season in Atlanta, too, but for owners who can’t land those big fish, plenty of value can be found beyond those upper-echelon first-baggers. 

With an early ADP of 81, Jose Abreu is about as close to a sleeper as a former MVP can get. The Astros slugger had fine batting splits last season (.304/.378/.446) — and his power metrics were still well above average — but he never got it going with the long-ball like when he led the majors in RBIs in COVID summer or drove in an AL-leading 123 runs in 2019. Abreu should have plenty of opportunity to mount a bounce-back campaign batting in the middle of a stacked Astros order.

2023 FANTASY RANKINGS & DOLLAR VALUES:
Cs | 2Bs | 3Bs | SSs | OFs | SPs | RPs | Top 300

As for Abreu’s former squad, “stacked” isn’t exactly the first word that comes to mind for the White Sox, but Andrew Vaughn, who finally gets to play his natural position at first after two years of playing out of position in left field, looks poised for a breakout campaign. Another breakout candidate from the AL Central is 24-year-old Vinnie Pasquantino, who mashed 10 homers and 24 RBIs in just 72 games last season. The Rookie of the Year candidate hit .295 and maintained a staggering OPS of .832.

Plenty of guys offer power with little else, like Arizona’s Christian Walker and Milwaukee’s Rowdy Tellez. Other guys like reigning AL batting champ Luis Arraez make for superb plays in punt-homer builds. But players like Baltimore’s Ryan Mountcastle, Seattle’s Ty France, San Diego’s Jake Cronenworth, and Minnesota’s Jose Miranda all strike us as players who can put it all together and hit for power and average. We also have a ton of draft capital invested so far in 23-year-old Triston Casas, who has been hitting the cover off the ball for the Red Sox in Spring Training.

First base is not nearly as top-heavy as many fantasy pundits would have you believe. The NL adopting the DH position starting last season drove up the value of 1B-eligible players in a major way, and now with pitch clocks and new defensive shift governance, the home-run ball is in the proverbial court of the MLB’s top sluggers. We could see a massive amount of home runs and RBI this season, so it’s important to choose wisely when selecting your first basemen. 

Be sure to keep an eye out for more comprehensive fantasy baseball coverage from us between now and the start of the MLB season, including top sleepers, breakout candidates, and a full cheat sheet. For now, here are the first basemen rankings for the 2023 fantasy season, featuring each players’ alternate positional eligibility. 

Fantasy Baseball 1B Rankings 2023: Top players, sleepers at first base

Position eligibility based on Yahoo’s default settings

Rank	Player, Team	Other Pos. Elig.
1	Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
2	Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals
3	Freddie Freeman, Dodgers
4	Pete Alonso, Mets
5	Matt Olson, Braves
6	Jose Abreu, Astros
7	Vinnie Pasquantino, Royals
8	Christian Walker, Diamondbacks
9	Andrew Vaughn, White Sox	OF
10	Nathaniel Lowe, Rangers
11	C.J. Cron, Rockies
12	Rhys Hoskins, Phillies
13	Rowdy Tellez, Brewers
14	Ryan Mountcastle, Orioles
15	Ty France, Mariners	3B
16	Jake Cronenworth, Padres	2B, SS
17	Jose Miranda, Twins	3B
18	Luis Arraez, Marlins	2B
19	Joey Meneses, Nationals	OF
20	Triston Casas (BOS – 1B)
21	Josh Bell, Guardians
22	Alec Bohm, Phillies	3B
23	Josh Naylor, Guardians
24	Trey Mancini, Cubs
25	DJ LeMahieu, Yankees	2B, 3B
26	Brandon Drury, Angels	2B, 3B
27	Miguel Vargas, Dodgers
28	Yandy Diaz, Rays	3B
29	Seth Brown, Athletics	OF
30	Jared Walsh, Angels
31	Spencer Torkelson, Tigers
32	Alex Kirilloff, Twins	OF
33	Juan Yepez, Cardinals	OF
34	Brendan Donovan, Cardinals	2B, 3B, SS, OF
35	Wil Myers, Reds	OF
36	Joey Votto, Reds
37	Wilmer Flores, Giants	2B,3B,DH
38	Isaac Paredes, Rays	2B, 3B
39	Garrett Cooper, Marlins
40	Matt Mervis*, Cubs

*player not currently on 40-man roster

Fantasy Baseball 1B Projected Dollar Values

Dollar values courtesy of Fantasy Pros and based on a 12-team mixed league with a $260 budget (70 percent allocated for hitting)

Player	Dollar Value
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR – 1B)	$39
Freddie Freeman (LAD – 1B)	$36
Paul Goldschmidt (STL – 1B)	$30
Pete Alonso (NYM – 1B)	$30
Matt Olson (ATL – 1B)	$23
Nathaniel Lowe (TEX – 1B)	$12
Jose Abreu (HOU – 1B)	$12
C.J. Cron (COL – 1B)	$11
Christian Walker (ARI – 1B)	$11
Ryan Mountcastle (BAL – 1B)	$11
Ty France (SEA – 1B,3B)	$10
Rhys Hoskins (PHI – 1B)	$10
Andrew Vaughn (CWS – 1B,LF,RF)	$10
Jake Cronenworth (SD – 1B,2B,SS)	$9
Josh Naylor (CLE – 1B,RF)	$9
Anthony Rizzo (NYY – 1B)	$8
Vinnie Pasquantino (KC – 1B)	$8
Luis Arraez (MIA – 1B,2B)	$8
Alec Bohm (PHI – 1B,3B)	$7
Yandy Diaz (TB – 1B,3B)	$7
Josh Bell (CLE – 1B)	$7
Rowdy Tellez (MIL – 1B)	$7
Jose Miranda (MIN – 1B,3B)	$6
Joey Meneses (WSH – 1B,RF)	$6
Wil Myers (CIN – 1B,LF,RF)	$4
Seth Brown (OAK – 1B,LF,CF,RF)	$3
Miguel Vargas (LAD – 1B)	$1
Triston Casas (BOS – 1B)	$1
Brandon Drury (LAA – 1B,2B,3B)	$1
DJ LeMahieu (NYY – 1B,2B,3B)	$1

All other players valued at $0