In the second of an eight-part series, we will take a look at the top five first basemen in fantasy baseball. Choosing a player with power is important here. Remember, players in fantasy might have multiple positions next to their name. For example, Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Cody Bellinger of Scottsdale, Arizona is recognized as a first baseman, as well as an outfielder, despite only playing 36 games at first in 2019. Here are the top five fantasy first basemen in 2020.
5) Jose Abreu–Chicago White Sox–The 33-year-old native of Cienfuegos, Cuba batted .284 with 33 home runs and 123 runs batted in during 2019. Abreu’s 123 runs batted in led the American League. Abreu, who was an All-Star for the third time in 2019, could be on a much-improved White Sox team in 2020. The team acquired catcher Yasmani Grandal, designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion, outfielder Nomar Mazara, starting pitchers Dallas Kuechel and Gio Gonzalez, along with setup man Steve Cishek. Chicago could contend with Minnesota and Cleveland for an American League Central Division title, which might also increase Abreu’s value as the season progresses.
4) Josh Bell–Pittsburgh Pirates–The 27-year-old native of Irving, Texas, was an All-Star for the first time in 2019. He batted .277 with 37 home runs and 116 runs batted in, all career highs. Bell also set career highs in 2019 in runs scored (94), hits (146), doubles (37), slugging percentage (.569), and total bases (300). It is a good thing that fielding percentage is not used in fantasy baseball, because Bell had only a .988 fielding percentage in 2019, the worst for Major League first basemen.
3) Carlos Santana–Cleveland Indians–For the first time in his career in 2019, Carlos Santana was an All-Star. He had career highs in batting average (.281), runs scored (110), hits (161), slugging percentage (.515), and total bases (295). Santana began his career in Cleveland, where he played eight seasons from 2010 to 2017. The native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic then signed a three-year deal worth $60 million with the Phillies for the 2018 season, and then was traded back to Cleveland in 2019. There is no doubt Santana is comfortable in Cleveland. His one year in Philadelphia, Santana only batted .229.
2) Pete Alonso–New York Mets–If Pete Alonso continues to hit with power in 2020, fantasy owners are in for a real treat. In 2019, the rookie of Tampa, Florida, led Major League Baseball with 53 home runs. He also batted .260 with 120 runs batted in. In fact, the National League Rookie of the Year also led the Mets with 103 runs scored. A sophomore slump might happen, but in a 60 game season, Alonso should put up respectable numbers again.
1)Cody Bellinger–Los Angeles Dodgers–It was a remarkable first half of the year for Bellinger in 2019. The National League MVP was batting .404 as late as May 21. Even though Bellinger cooled off for the second half, he still put up strong numbers, as he batted .305 with 47 home runs and 115 runs batted in to finish off the year. Bellinger also led the National League with 351 total bases.
