Hello everyone, welcome back to another edition of my positional dynasty rankings.
I have tackled the top relievers, starting pitchers and catchers. This week the spotlight shines on the top 50 dynasty first basemen.
Overall, this is a pretty solid position as the top players can carry a team while there is a lot of depth, allowing you to roster two first basemen with one being a corner infielder or utility player and get a lot of production out of both players.
So if you miss out on one of the top 10 players, don’t fret because there is a lot of talent in tiers two and three.
Now, let’s get on with the rankings.
Just Missing The Cut
- Paul Goldschmidt, Yankees
- Joc Pederson, Rangers
- Moises Ballesteros, Angels
- Deyvison De Los Santos, Marlins
Joc Pederson is not a first baseman. Yes, he appeared in nine games there, but if you saw him play the position, you wouldn’t call him a first baseman. But in some leagues he now qualifies at that position, and after coming off a 26 homer, 53 RBI season, I am making an exception to “ranking” him as he can provide great depth there. But he turns 35 in late April and is not a person to keep around other than for depth purposes.
Ballesteros is a catcher first, but he appeared in seven games at first and there is a chance he could see a little more action there next year, so he is exception No. 2 and is mentioned here as missing the cut. Ballesteros struggled with the Angels after being traded by the Cubs, slashing .199/.260/.280 after posting a slash line of .231/.303/.385 with the Cubs. But Ballesteros is young and has plenty of upside.
De Los Santos looked to be on the fast track to the majors after hitting 22 and 20 homers in 2022 and 2023 and then blasting 40 homers and driving in 120 runs at Double-A and Triple-A at the age of 21 in 2024. But since being traded to the Marlins during that 2024 season, De Los Santos struggled in 2025 before rebounding to hit 21 homers with 70 RBI at Triple-A this year before appearing in 18 games with the Marlins. He has raw power, but that is about it right now.
NOTE: There were 179 players who appeared in at least one game at first base and 89 players who appeared in at least 10 games at the position. To be ranked below you have to appear in at least 10 games at first base. So you will not see any prospects ranked below unless they have appeared in 10 major league games at first base. Dynasty leagues are all different in how they treat prospects, so comparing a prospect’s value to a major leaguer’s value is something I don’t do here. If you need to know about prospects, please check out the great material Itch is producing.
Tier 5
*Ages as of March 1, 2027
| RANK | PLAYER | 2026 TEAM | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | Brett Baty | NYM | 27 |
| 49 | Ryan Vilade | TB | 28 |
| 48 | Nolan Schanuel | LAA | 25 |
| 47 | Spencer Horwitz | PIT | 29 |
| 46 | Andrew Vaughn | MIL | 28 |
| 45 | Yohandy Morales | WSH | 25 |
| 44 | Jake Burger | TEX | 30 |
| 43 | Colt Keith | DET | 25 |
| 42 | Connor Norby | COL | 26 |
| 41 | Rafael Flores | PIT | 26 |
He’s Just A Dude
The more I have watched Nolan Schanuel play, the more I realize he is just an average first baseman, at best. While he hit for power in college, scouts worried about it carrying over to the majors. Well, it hasn’t. In three seasons he has hit 13, 12 and seven homers for the Angels. The hope was that Schanuel’s slash line would carry him. Well, in 415 career games he has a .263/.353/.375 slash line. If you are not going to hit for power at first base, you’d better have a great slash line. He doesn’t and here he is at No. 48.
Solid Debut
After a standout career at the University of Miami, Yohandy Morales suffered a fractured thumb in his first full professional season in 2024, and the injury set him back in his development. But this past season he hit 25 homers and drove in 76 runs at Triple-A before being promoted to the Nationals. In 17 games with Washington he slashed .255/.255/.596 with four homers and 10 RBI. And you read that right, his average and OBP were the same as he had ZERO walks in 47 plate appearances. He needs to improve his discipline at the plate (31.9 K%) if he wants to move up in the rankings.
Versatility Pays Off
Colt Keith appeared in 18 games at first, along with plenty of games at second base, third base and DH. His stats make him an average first baseman at best – certainly not a player you should count on to be your first baseman. But for depth purposes, his ability to play a lot of positions gives him value.
Connor Norby played the majority of his games in 2026 at first base, appearing in 47 games, but he also played 27 games at second base, 21 games at third and another 15 at DH. After being traded to the Rockies from Miami, most of his appearances with Colorado came at second base, where he played 27 games, and that is his likely future with Colorado, where he slashed .302/.457/.844 with three homers and 18 RBI in 40 games overall (.205/.313/.325-4-16 with Miami in 65 games).
Rafael Flores made 29 starts as a catcher for the Pirates, but he also made 11 starts at first base. In 47 games he slugged 11 homers and drove in 25 while slashing .264/.331/.527. During the final month of the season he was outstanding as he slashed .313/.361/.537 with four homers and eight RBI. The ability to play first and catcher gives him value.
Tier 4
| RANK | PLAYER | 2026 TEAM | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | Alec Bohm | PHI | 30 |
| 39 | Andres Chaparro | WSH | 27 |
| 38 | Royce Lewis | MIN | 27 |
| 37 | Ryan O’Hearn | PIT | 33 |
| 36 | Griffin Conine | MIA | 29 |
| 35 | Kody Clemens | MIN | 30 |
| 34 | Curtis Mead | BOS | 26 |
| 33 | Kyle Stowers | MIA | 29 |
| 32 | Spencer Steer | CIN | 29 |
| 31 | Josh Bell | MIN | 34 |
Lots Of Non-First Baseman Playing First Base
This tier is the collection of non-first basemen who can play first base. Of the 10 players listed above, five of them got the majority of their starts at first base – Andres Chaparro, Royce Lewis, Ryan O’Hearn, Kyle Stowers and Spencer Steer. Chaparro started 56 games at 1B, 21 games at DH and six at 3B while Lewis appeared in 82 games at 1B, 40 at 3B and 16 at 2B. O’Hearn made 53 appearances at 1B but another 42 in RF and 27 at DH, Stowers appeared in 59 games at 1B, 31 in LF, 21 in RF and 20 at DH while Steer played in 48 games at 1B, 30 in RF, 27 in LF, 16 at 3B, two at 3B and CF and one at DH.
Meanwhile, Alec Bohm, Griffin Conine, Kody Clemens, Curtis Mead and Josh Bell all made more starts at another position compared to first base. Bell is really a DH, appearing in 129 games at the position, but he did play in 20 games at first base.
What Does This Mean?
While this tier is not full of traditional first basemen, all of these players have value as they can all slot in at multiple positions. In dynasty leagues, that is a valuable player to have. As for the future, I love what Clemens and Steer bring to the table. Clemens had a career year with the bat, hitting 27 homers, driving in 81 runs and stealing 10 bases. He might not match those numbers again, but the fact he can play five different positions is outstanding. Steer will be eligible at four positions next year and he would likely have surpassed 20 homers and 70 RBI for a fourth straight season if not for injuries limiting him to 98 games this year.
Coming Into His Own
Kyle Stowers struggled to find his footing in the big leagues his first three seasons with Baltimore and then Miami. But the last two years have seen him produce OPS+ numbers of 150 and 121. In 2025 he hit 25 homers with 73 RBI while slashing .288/.368/.544. This past year the slash line fell to be more in line with his career numbers, but he still hit 21 homers and drove in 65. He will be 29 next season, meaning he is now in his prime while also being able to play in left and right field.
The Old Man
At 34 years old, Josh Bell’s best days are behind him, but maybe not that far behind him. At his age you can’t count on him to be a major contributor in three years, but he could. Why? Because he simply knows how to hit. This year he slashed .255/.319/.419 with 21 homers and 96 RBI and an OPS+ of 106. Last year he went .237/.325/.417-22-63 with an OPS+ of 110. He has basically been producing 20 homer, 70 RBI+ seasons since his rookie season in 2017. Some years are better, some are a little worse, but his lowest OPS+ in a full season is 100.
Tier 3
| RANK | PLAYER | 2026 TEAM | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Christian Walker | HOU | 35 |
| 29 | Jake Bauers | MIL | 31 |
| 28 | Ty France | SD | 32 |
| 27 | Yandy Diaz | TB | 35 |
| 26 | Josh Naylor | SEA | 29 |
| 25 | Vinnie Pasquantino | KC | 29 |
| 24 | Spencer Torkelson | DET | 27 |
| 23 | Samuel Basallo | BAL | 22 |
| 22 | Michael Busch | CHC | 29 |
| 21 | Kazuma Okamoto | TOR | 30 |
Slash Line – Yuck. Power Numbers – Nice
Christian Walker likely drives everyone nuts if they have him on a roster. He finished the season with 29 homers and 87 RBI and an OPS+ of 103. But 16 of his homers and 43 of his RBI came in March through May. And he finished with a .226/.299/.427 slash line, after slashing .238/.297/.421 in 2025. Since 2022, he has hit 36, 33, 26, 27 and 29 homers and driven in between 84 to 103 runs. So if you are looking for cheap homers and RBI, Walker is a target. But just know his slash line will kill you.
Nice Rebound Season
The last time Ty France was as productive at the plate as he was this season was in 2022. That year he hit 20 homers and drove in 83 while slashing .274/.338/.436 in 140 games. The next three seasons saw limited production from France before he went .295/.363/.502-21-72 in 133 games for the Padres. Could he replicate 2026 next year or in 2028? Sure. Will he? I don’t think so. But he has the chance, so he lands here in the rankings.
Breakout Year
Jake Bauers had never hit more than 12 homers in a season or driven in more than 48 runs since making his debut in 2018. But this year he went nuts with 26 dingers, 86 RBI and 11 steals while slashing .266/.389/.484 in 144 games for the Brewers. All of those numbers are career highs. His 162-game average is 18 homers and 64 RBI with a .223/.326/.391 slash line. Bauers can easily duplicate this past season over the next two or three years, but it is not a certainty.
Yes, You Previously Saw Basallo
Samuel Basallo is ranked fifth in my catcher rankings, but he played in 12 games at first base, making him a first baseman as well. This is what I wrote about him last week, “I understand that as he slashed .222/.291/.406 with 18 homers and 54 RBI. But then you have to realize that he just turned 22 this past August, meaning he played most of the season against major league pitchers instead of dominating the minor league or college ranks.
He slumped horribly over the second half, but his potential is there. He has played a total of 143 career games and hit 22 homers and driven in 69 with a .209/.277/.388 slash line. That is pretty much a Cal Raleigh season right there, and Basallo is eight years younger.”
Another Non-First Baseman
Kazuma Okamoto played primarily at third base for the Blue Jays this year, but he made 14 appearances and 10 starts at first base, so he is also a first baseman in our world. As a first baseman, I will take his 33 homers and 92 RBI. His slash line of .232/.310/.452 could be better, and he had four months in which his batting average was under .220 and his OBP was under .304. But I think he will improve on these numbers in 2027 and the power and RBI will still show up.
Tier 2
| RANK | PLAYER | 2026 TEAM | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Freddie Freeman | LAD | 37 |
| 19 | Coby Mayo | BAL | 25 |
| 18 | TJ Rumfield | COL | 26 |
| 17 | Willson Contreras | BOS | 34 |
| 16 | Isaac Paredes | HOU | 28 |
| 15 | Munetaka Murakami | CWS | 27 |
| 14 | Jonathan Aranda | TB | 28 |
| 13 | Kyle Schwarber | PHI | 33 |
| 12 | Vladimir Guerrero | TOR | 27 |
| 11 | Luis Garcia Jr. | NYY | 26 |
Give Me Extra Mayo
I have been waiting for Coby Mayo to break out, and while I don’t think 2026 was a breakout season for Mayo, I think it is a glimpse of what is to come. Not even 25 years old, Mayo hit 24 homers with 63 RBI in 132 games for the Orioles this season. His 162-game average is 35 homers and 91 RBI. I’m not a huge fan of his career slash line of .216/.292/.461, but in the second half (58 games) he slashed .270/.337/.540 with 12 homers and 29 RBI. In the first half (74 games) those numbers were .193/.264/.395-12-34. I really believe those second half numbers can be replicated for the next five years, making Mayo a prime candidate to move up these rankings and being a steal for 2027.
Great Rookie Campaign
TJ Rumfield kind of flew under the radar this season, but the Rockies first baseman had an excellent rookie season. In 155 games he hit 16 homers with 73 RBI while slashing .300/.390/.453 and finishing with an OPS+ of 121. He also displayed an understanding of the strike zone as he had an 11.4% walk rate and a fantastic 13.6% strikeout rate. Rumfield did have 10 homers and 51 RBI at home and only six homers and 22 RBI on the road, but his slash line shows that he is pretty much the same hitter no matter where he hits. At Coors Field he slashed .304/.385/.479 and on the road he slashed .295/.395/.425. Not a huge swing.
Tale Of Two Halves
Munetaka Murakami finished his first season in the majors with 35 homers and 77 RBI and an OPS+ of 130. But he also had a .207/.347/.478 slash line thanks to a horrid second half. Through his first 60 games, Murakami slashed .232/.371/.540 with 20 homers and 42 RBI. After suffering a hamstring injury, Murakami returned to slash .185/.327/.424 with 15 homers and 35 RBI in 67 games.
During his eight seasons in Japan, Murakami had a career .273/.394/.550 slash line, so his past history suggests he should be able to improve his slash line going forward. As for the power, that has always been there and nothing suggests that it is going to disappear.
I Know, He’s Not A First Baseman
Kyle Schwarber appeared in only eight games at first base, six of them starts. But in some leagues, those six starts are enough to qualify him as a first baseman. And since I didn’t want to talk about him briefly in a post about designated hitters, I decided to bend my rule from above and list him here at first base. His numbers would suggest he should be ranked higher, but that is not fair to the real first basemen and it skews things if you are in a league where he is not listed at first.
Whether he can or can’t play first base is not really an issue if all you care about is landing his bat and sticking him at a utility slot. Schwarber will really be 34 for all of the 2027 season as his birthday is just after my March 1 date for ages. Whether he is 33 or 34, who cares? Since 2022 he has hit 46, 47, 38, 56 and 45 home runs and driven in 94, 104, 104, 132, and 97 runs. His lowest SLG during his run is .474 and his worst OPS is .817. His batting average is never going to help you, but his OBP and SLG are outstanding.
Smooth Move
A former second baseman, Luis Garcia Jr. had a smooth transition to first base this season, slashing .277/.309/.521 with a career high 30 homers and 92 RBI. His homers and RBI totals both ranked sixth among first basemen while his AVG ranked fourth and his SLG of .521 ranked third. He doesn’t turn 27 until May, so he is entering his prime. The main reason he isn’t ranked higher is that he never had a season like this before. His previous highs in homers and RBI were 18 and 70 in 2024. I want to see more than one great season before completely buying in.
Tier 1
| RANK | PLAYER | 2026 TEAM | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Rafael Devers | SF | 30 |
| 9 | Bryce Harper | PHI | 34 |
| 8 | Matt Olson | ATL | 32 |
| 7 | Alec Burleson | STL | 28 |
| 6 | Bryce Eldridge | SF | 22 |
| 5 | Pete Alonso | BAL | 32 |
| 4 | Jac Caglianone | KC | 24 |
| 3 | Ben Rice | NYY | 28 |
| 2 | Sal Stewart | CIN | 23 |
| 1 | Nick Kurtz | A’s | 23 |
The Older Grouping
I know a lot of dynasty owners shy away from players in their 30s, but when you do that, you are letting someone else grab that player at a lower price. Sometimes the best move is to take the better player, even if the ROI is only over three years and not six. Rafael Devers, Bryce Harper and Matt Olson are still very productive hitters, so why bypass them?
Devers is coming off a 37 homer, 98 RBI season, one year after going 35-109. A career .274/.348/.508 hitter, his slash line has dropped to .255/.357/.501 the last two years. But the power is still there as well as the ability to drive in runs. He may transition to become more of a DH, but he still played in 100 games at first, so I don’t think that transition is going to come overnight.
Bryce Harper gets a little boost in his value thanks to playing right field this season in addition to first base. But no matter where he plays he is still productive at the plate as he hit 29 homers and drove in 87 runs this year. At the age of 33 this year, his production basically matched his 162-game average of 33 homers and 95 RBI, though with a lower slash line. That is solid production that you can count on.
Matt Olson is the best first baseman no one really talks about, but every year he just produces. First, he has played 162 games in every season since 2022, after appearing in 156 games the year before. So Olson is going to show up every day. Second, he hit 41 homers and drove in 93 runs this year. That home run total ranked second among first basemen and the RBI total ranked fifth. Since joining the Braves in 2022, his average season is 37 home runs and 106 RBI with a .259/.347/.505 slash line and an OPS+ of 133.
Getting Better And Better
Over the last three seasons, Alec Burleson has seen his OPS+ go from 105 to 127 to 131 and his WAR move from 1.4 to 1.9 to 3.7. I love that steady improvement as it led to a season in which he slashed .279/.343/.473 with 26 homers and 116 RBI to lead the majors. And while Burleson may not hit as many homers as some other first basemen, he is a beast at the plate as he ranked in at least the 90th percentile or higher in xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, Average EV and Hard Hit%. He is just now coming into his prime and he should produce at this rate for years to come.
The Young Slugger
If Devers is forced to become more of a DH, it is because Bryce Eldridge is used more at first than at DH. To solve the problem of who may or may not remain at first you should just have both players on your team! Eldridge has not produced a monster season yet, but it is only a matter of time before he does. In 107 games this year he slugged 17 homers and drove in 57 with a .269/.364/.461 slash line and an OPS+ of 133. His Hard Hit% ranked in the 96th percentile and his Average EV ranked in the 95th percentile while also producing a walk rate that was in the 93rd percentile. He just turned 22, so he has years and years of improvement and production ahead of him.
The Old Slugger
After seven seasons with the New York Mets, Pete Alonso took his talents to Baltimore and quickly showed Orioles fans he is worth the money the Orioles are paying him (which is a lot!). Alonso’s 162-game average is 43 homers and 114 RBI. This season with the Orioles he hit 43 homers and had 113 RBI. He has now driven in 100 or more runs in four of the last five seasons. He turns 32 in December, but playing first base is not exactly a taxing position, allowing him to age with grace at the position.
The Final Four
The season Jac Caglianone just had is the one I expected in 2025 during his rookie campaign. I guess one year late is better than never. After a horrid rookie season (.157/.237/.295-7-18 in 62 games), Caglianone hit 23 homers, drove in 75 runs, stole seven bases and slashed .289/.340/.494 and had an OPS+ of 132. And he did this at the age of 23. Making his value even better is the fact he also plays right field, but at the same time, that may be his future home. But that is not a concern for 2027.
I currently rank Rice ahead of Caglianone because his production has simply been better the last two years. Rice had a breakout season in 2025 when he slashed .255/.337/.499 with 26 homers and 65 RBI in 138 games. But he was even better this past season, producing a .264/.363/.534-41-97 season. He may be four years older than Caglianone, but he is the better player right now while Caglianone has the higher upside, in my opinion.
Sal Stewart gave baseball fans a quick glimpse of what he can do at the plate when he hit five homers in 18 games for the Reds in 2025. Handed the first base job this year, all Stewart did was hit 32 homers and drive in 111 runs while slashing .263/.330/.457. But Stewart doesn’t play just first base. He appeared in 45 games at third base and another eight at second while also serving as the DH 11 times. Versatility always adds value to a player. He did struggle in September, but I’m not concerned about that at all.
Kurtz burst onto the scene in 2025 by hitting 36 homers and driving in 86 runs while slashing .290/.383/.619 to win the ROY award. Kurtz was off to another great start this season as he had 21 homers and 69 RBI in his first 99 games. But a thumb injury ended his season on July 31, preventing him from putting up another monster season. But his 162-game averages are 43 homers and 116 RBI with a 157 OPS+. That is insane. And even more insane are his Statcast numbers as he ranked in the 98th percentile or higher in Average EV, Barrel%, Hard Hit% and Bat Speed. Yes, his Whiff% and K% ranked in the 1st and 2nd percentile, but who cares. The man mashes the ball.
Thank You
I know some of you will agree with this list for the most part and others will strongly disagree, but no matter what, thanks for reading. Come back again next week when I unveil the Top 50 Dynasty Second Basemen for 2027 Fantasy Baseball.
If you missed previous posts, you can find them here:
Top 50 Dynasty Relievers for 2027 Fantasy Baseball
Top 100 Dynasty Starting Pitchers for 2027 Fantasy Baseball
Top 50 Dynasty Catchers for 2027 Fantasy Baseball
