The road wasn’t smooth, but baseball – and fantasy baseball – is back for 2022. First base isn’t often thought of as a priority position, but when stars like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Freddie Freeman play the position, it still has plenty of appeal. Those familiar faces top Fantasy Alarm’s 1B rankings, but they’re far from the only top players and sleepers who could make big impacts this year.
As usual, there’s no shortage of sluggers at first, and there’s not a lot of steals. Paul Goldschmidt was the only guy who topped 10 SBs last year, so this remains a three- or four-category position. Of course, you can get elite production in those three categories, so first is the type of position where guys are just as likely to come off the board early as they are at any other point in the draft.
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That means you can still get a highly productive player in the middle and late rounds. Someone like Brandon Belt, who’s coming off a career power year, is thought of as a “boring veteran,” but if he clubs 30 homers and drives in 85-plus runs, you’ll be happy you waited to draft him.
Platoons and playing time issues tend to plague the power threats lower in the rankings, but guys like Andrew Vaughn and Bobby Dalbec are the types of lotto tickets who could really pay off if they earn regular at-bats against both lefties and righties.
With the DH now in the NL, there should be more at-bats to go around for several “1B types,” which will only increase production. That only makes this position deeper, so keep that in mind before you reach for a middle-tier guy in the middle rounds.
2022 FANTASY BASEBALL RANKINGS:
Catcher | Second | Third | Short | Outfield | Starter | Closer | Overall
Fantasy Baseball 1B Rankings 2022: Top players at first base
These rankings are a composite of three of Fantasy Alarm's experts. Players might be eligible at other positions, thus giving them more overall value.
MORE FANTASY: Sleepers | Prospects | Cheat Sheet
| Rank | Player | Team |
| 1 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | Blue Jays |
| 2 | Freddie Freeman | Dodgers |
| 3 | Matt Olson | Braves |
| 4 | Jose Abreu | White Sox |
| 5 | Pete Alonso | Mets |
| 6 | Paul Goldschmidt | Cardinals |
| 7 | Austin Riley | Braves |
| 8 | Kris Bryant | Rockies |
| 9 | Cody Bellinger | Dodgers |
| 10 | Jared Walsh | Angels |
For the rest of Fantasy Alarm's 1B rankings -- and rankings at every position -- click here.
