Up this week are the May rest-of-season position rankings and overall top 300 for 5x5 leagues.
In the interests of full disclosure, the 2022 preseason rankings here are actually a snapshot from Friday, April 8, rather than from prior to Opening Day on April 7, since I continued to update the rankings for drafts taking place that weekend. There weren’t more than a few big changes during that timeframe, but Steven Kwan and Tylor Megill are higher in the 2022 column here than I had them in the preseason.
Click to see other May rankings:
Top 300 | SP | RP | OF | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | C
First Baseman Rankings
May | First Basemen | Team | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | Blue Jays | 1 |
DH 1 | Shohei Ohtani | Angels | DH 1 |
2 | Freddie Freeman | Dodgers | 2 |
3 | Matt Olson | Braves | 3 |
4 | Pete Alonso | Mets | 4 |
5 | Paul Goldschmidt | Cardinals | 5 |
6 | Josh Bell | Nationals | 7 |
7 | Rhys Hoskins | Phillies | 6 |
8 | Jose Abreu | White Sox | 8 |
9 | C.J. Cron | Rockies | 9 |
10 | Jake Cronenworth | Padres | 10 |
11 | DJ LeMahieu | Yankees | 13 |
12 | Anthony Rizzo | Yankees | 17 |
13 | Ty France | Mariners | 18 |
DH 2 | Franmil Reyes | Guardians | DH 2 |
14 | Max Muncy | Dodgers | 14 |
DH 3 | Nelson Cruz | Nationals | DH 3 |
15 | Joey Votto | Reds | 12 |
16 | Jared Walsh | Angels | 16 |
17 | Connor Joe | Rockies | n/a |
18 | Nathaniel Lowe | Rangers | 19 |
19 | Brandon Belt | Giants | 21 |
20 | Eric Hosmer | Padres | 28 |
21 | Bobby Dalbec | Red Sox | 15 |
22 | Rowdy Tellez | Brewers | 26 |
23 | Spencer Torkelson | Tigers | 25 |
24 | Ryan Mountcastle | Orioles | 11 |
25 | Trey Mancini | Orioles | 23 |
26 | Luke Voit | Padres | 22 |
27 | Owen Miller | Guardians | n/a |
28 | LaMonte Wade Jr. | Giants | 30 |
29 | Yuli Gurriel | Astros | 29 |
30 | Josh Naylor | Guardians | n/a |
31 | Jonathan Schoop | Tigers | 24 |
32 | Luis Arraez | Twins | n/a |
33 | Garrett Cooper | Marlins | n/a |
34 | Darin Ruf | Giants | 32 |
35 | Alex Kirilloff | Twins | 20 |
36 | Jurickson Profar | Padres | 45 |
37 | Wilmer Flores | Giants | 39 |
38 | Yandy Diaz | Rays | 38 |
39 | Pavin Smith | Diamondbacks | 37 |
40 | Nick Pratto | Royals | 36 |
41 | Brad Miller | Rangers | 34 |
42 | Jesus Aguilar | Marlins | 33 |
43 | Keston Hiura | Brewers | 42 |
44 | Christian Walker | Diamondbacks | 44 |
DH 4 | Seth Beer | Diamondbacks | DH 5 |
45 | Tyler Stephenson | Reds | 40 |
46 | Edwin Rios | Dodgers | 41 |
47 | Alfonso Rivas | Cubs | n/a |
48 | Triston Casas | Red Sox | 52 |
49 | Frank Schwindel | Cubs | 27 |
50 | Ji-Man Choi | Rays | 59 |
51 | Seth Brown | Athletics | n/a |
52 | Dominic Smith | Mets | n/a |
53 | Colin Moran | Reds | 35 |
54 | Daniel Vogelbach | Pirates | 51 |
55 | Albert Pujols | Cardinals | 49 |
56 | Carlos Santana | Royals | 46 |
57 | Miguel Cabrera | Tigers | 48 |
58 | Yoshi Tsutsugo | Pirates | 43 |
59 | Miguel Sano | Twins | 31 |
60 | Vinnie Pasquantino | Royals | 60 |
61 | Lewin Diaz | Marlins | 53 |
62 | Michael Chavis | Pirates | n/a |
63 | Juan Yepez | Cardinals | 50 |
64 | Matt Duffy | Angels | n/a |
65 | Matt Beaty | Padres | 54 |
Dropping off: Bobby Bradley (47th), Jake Bauers (55th)
- I’m including the four remaining DHs here. The list will probably be down to two players next month, as Franmil Reyes is seeing occasional starts in right field and Seth Beer should get more time at first base.
- I was feeling better about the depth at first base going into this year than I had in recent seasons, but that’s hardly the case now. There’s a pretty huge gap after Max Muncy at No. 14, and four of those top 14 players are, in theory anyway, more valuable at other positions. Three guys originally in my top 15 are shaping up as disappointments; Joey Votto has looked terrible, Ryan Mountcastle has been hampered by the changes at Oriole Park and Bobby Dalbec is struggling and losing playing time. I still think there’s hope for Dalbec, but the ball isn’t traveling well at Fenway and I’ve downgraded the Red Sox offense as a whole in these rankings.
- I also don’t have a ton of faith in the April surprises. Eric Hosmer is actually hitting the ball on the ground more than ever and has even taken an exit velocity hit. I like Connor Joe’s approach and I’ve given him a big bump now that he’s established himself in the Rockies lineup, but even with Coors Field helping him along, his power numbers will likely be mediocre. Rowdy Tellez is someone I was a fan of in NL-only leagues going into the year and I think he’ll remain quite effective, but his upside is rather limited.
- Keep an eye on Josh Naylor, who has 18 hard-hit balls and just seven strikeouts in 50 plate appearances since coming off the IL. He hasn’t had anything to offer fantasy leaguers in previous seasons, but his line-drive approach gives him an edge in the current environment and he should have plenty of RBI chances in the middle of the Guardians order.
- Alfonso Rivas has overtaken Frank Schwindel as the Cubs’ first baseman against righties with his .429/.520/.619 line in 25 plate appearances. He doesn’t have the power to turn into a force in mixed leagues, hence his modest placement here, but he’ll post a nice OBP if he keeps his spot.