All Positions: C / 1B / 2B / SS / 3B / CF / OF / P
There aren't many young first basemen who are starting in the big leagues, which makes guys like Prince Fielder and Billy Butler rarities to begin with. Add Chris Davis to the mix with Daric Barton and James Loney and there's a decent group of young first basemen on the rise. That is if Davis continues his surge toward stardom, Daric Barton learns from his 2008 struggles, and James Loney improves a little.
| Top 10 First Basemen Under the age of 25 | ||||||||||||
| No. | Player | Pos. | Comments | Age | Org | Lvl | ||||||
| 1 | Prince Fielder | 1B | Didn't live up to '07 standards (.404 wOBA) in '08 (.358); patience still there though (12.1% BB) | 24.4 | MIL | MLB | ||||||
| 2 | Chris Davis | 1B/3B | .369 wOBA in 317 MLB PA; lack of discipline (6.3% BB), high K's (27.8%) causes for concern | 22.6 | TEX | MLB | ||||||
| 3 | Billy Butler | 1B/DH | Inverted BB, K %'s in AAA (12.2%, 6.1%), bigs (6.9%, 11.9%); .319 wOBA in 578 MLB PA | 22.5 | KC | MLB | ||||||
| 4 | Daric Barton | 1B | Disappointed in 1st full ML season (.296 wOBA); could be the odd man out in Oakland in 2009 | 23.2 | OAK | MLB | ||||||
| 5 | James Loney | 1B | After .385 wOBA in '07, dropped to .331 in '08; slow start & end; .301/.336/.471 on the road | 24.4 | LAD | MLB | ||||||
| 6 | Lars Anderson | 1B | All he did was follow .398 wOBA showing in Cal League with .415 wOBA in Eastern League | 21.1 | BOS | AA | ||||||
| 7 | Justin Smoak | 1B | No. 11 overall pick had .372 wOBA (62 PA) in Low-A; .450 wOBA, 40% XBH in 48 AFL PA | 21.9 | TEX | A | ||||||
| 8 | Eric Hosmer | 1B | No. 3 overall pick brings advanced approach to the plate for a high schooler; some power, too | 19.0 | KC | R | ||||||
| 9 | Yonder Alonso | 1B | No. 7 overall pick sporting a .308/.419/.510 line (124 PA) in HWB; both power, patience | 21.5 | CIN | A+ | ||||||
| 10 | Kila Ka'aihue | 1B/DH | After posting .347 wOBA last year, Hawaiian sat above .450 this season; walks a ton | 24.5 | KC | MLB | ||||||
| Honorables: Logan Morrison (FLA), Freddie Freeman (ATL), and David Cooper (TOR). | ||||||||||||
| * Our rankings combine a player's ceiling with the odds that he'll reach it within a five-year period |
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| ** Ages are as of November 1st, 2008 | ||||||||||||
| *** Level is the highest level the player has reached | ||||||||||||
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Questions about this list can be directed toward Adam Foster at adamf@projectprospect.com.