All Positions: C / 1B / 2B / SS / 3B / CF / OF
Unlike our Top 10 Catchers Under 30 list, which had prospect Matt Wieters at No. 5, this list doesn't accommodate any prospects. Led by Albert Pujols and Mark Teixeira, first base has some of the biggest bats in the land. But factoring in gloves as well, Pujols, Teixeira, and 32-year-old Lance Berkman were on their own tier in 2008, according to beyondtheboxscore.com.
So what does this mean for Lars Anderson and Justin Smoak fantasy owners? Well, they're both still likely four plus years away from becoming impact big league first basemen. And that's if they improve every season. Eric Hosmer, Freedie Freeman, and Angel Villalona owners, be prepared to be very patient.
Entering 2011, four of the top ten players on this list will be over the age of 30, making way for a new core of young first basemen. Will Cabrera, Fielder, and Gonzalez take over as the game's elite hitters? Or will Chris Davis and Joey Votto continue to defy doubters and stake their own claims on those titles? Perhaps Billy Butler, Conor Jackson, Daric Barton, and James Loney -- all good contact hitters -- will eventually emerge as power hitters, vaulting their value.
Stay tuned as we release top prospect lists, top players under 25 by position and top players under 30 by position in the months to come. We will wrap up our 2009 prospect coverage by unleashing top prospects by organization lists, which will include more detailed analysis than our positional lists.
Note that you can find archives of each series mentioned above on our home page.
| Top 10 First Basemen Under the age of 30 | ||||||||||||
| No. | Player | Pos. | Comments | Age | Org | Lvl | ||||||
| 1 | Albert Pujols | 1B | Almost twice as many walks (16.3%) as strikeouts (8.4%) + .296 IsoP = The Best Hitter MLB | 28.7 | STL | MLB | ||||||
| 2 | Mark Teixeira | 1B | Teix has done what hitters are supposed to do in late-20s: walk more while striking out less | 28.5 | FA | MLB | ||||||
| 3 | Miguel Cabrera | 1B | The main difference from his studly '07 and above-average '08 was his lowest BABIP in years | 25.5 | DET | MLB | ||||||
| 4 | Adrian Gonzalez | 1B | Not impressed by his overall numbers? How about a .308/.358/.578 line away from Petco? |
26.4 | SD | MLB | ||||||
| 5 | 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 | ||||||
| 6 | Ryan Howard | 1B | Streaky power hitter Ks frequently (28.3% since '06); Tied for 3rd in the NL in IsoP with a .292 |
28.9 | PHI | MLB | ||||||
| 7 | Kevin Youkilis | 1B | Lowered walk rate by 2.3% on way to his best MLB power season by a long shot (.257 IsoP) | 29.6 | BOS | MLB | ||||||
| 8 | Justin Morneau | 1B | Ranked 30th in the AL with a .360 wOBA; still, K% continues to go down while BB% increases | 27.4 | MIN | MLB | ||||||
| 9 | Joey Votto | 1B | Was as good in bigs as he was in Triple-A last year: .295/.367/.500 (MLB), .294/.381/.478 | 25.1 | CIN | MLB | ||||||
| 10 | Chris Davis | 1B/3B | One of the biggest risers in baseball over the last year; has mashed everywhere he's played | 22.6 | TEX | MLB | ||||||
| Honorables: Conor Jackson (ARI), Billy Butler (KC), and Adam LaRoche (PIT). | ||||||||||||
| * Our rankings combine a player's ceiling with the odds that he'll reach it within a five-year period | ||||||||||||
| ** Ages are as of November 1st, 2008 | ||||||||||||
| *** Level is the highest level the player has reached | ||||||||||||
| <<< Discuss these rankings | ||||||||||||
Questions about this list can be directed toward Doug Gray at dougdirt@cinci.rr.com.