Two Late Round Fantasy Baseball Options for 2010: First Basemen

Of all positions, first base is probably the one position that you don’t need to worry about a late round option unless you play in the deepest formats. Still, with the amount of depth at the position (click here to view my most recent rankings), there is bound to be some viable pickups after the 18th round.

While there are young options who have some upside (Justin Smoak and Chris Carter, for example), let’s take a look at two players who will be available late and are almost certain to make an impact:

Nick Johnson - New York Yankees

Health has always been the biggest issue with Johnson, hasn’t it?  He’s only had 500 AB in a season once (2006) in his career, including missing the entire 2007 season. What makes 2010 any different? Absolutely nothing, except for the fact that where you can draft him (current ADP of 294.86) and the situation he is in creates the perfect scenario.

He can hit, which he showed last season in splitting time between the Marlins and Nationals (.291, 8 HR, 62 RBI, 71 R).  He’s never going to be an elite source of power, but his numbers should improve moving to the New Yankees Stadium. All you have to do is look at the success of Johnny Damon in the ballpark for support.

Where he is really going to benefit is in the runs scored department, where he is expected to slide into the second hole in the order. With a .402 career OBP (.426 last season) and the likes of Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira hitting behind him, he should be in line to score a significant number of runs. Last season there were nine first basemen who scored 90 runs or more, a mark that Johnson currently has a realistic shot at making.

If he can push a .300 average with the runs scored he’s going to be a viable option in the deepest of formats.

James Loney - Los Angeles Dodgers

I’ll be the first to tell you that I have never been a big fan of Loney’s. When I look at a first baseman, I want someone with power. I want someone who is going to drive in a lot of runs. You’re not going to get that from Loney, despite the 15 HR in 344 AB explosion he had when he was recalled in 2007.

The past two seasons, he’s shown his true colors, hitting 13 HR and picking up 90 RBI each year.

The power is a problem, for sure, but he does help to offset that slightly with a little bit of speed. No, he’s not going to steal double-digit bases, but do not discredit the seven he has had each of the past two seasons. In 2009, that was actually enough to tie him for third among first baseman (Albert Pujols lead the way with 16, like he needs any additional advantages).

Obviously, that’s not enough to make him usable on its own. The RBI is also an appealing number and helps his value, however.  His total was greater than Paul Konerko (88) and Todd Helton (86), among others. Both of those players are going ahead of Loney (Helton’s ADP is 210.38 and Konerko’s ADP is 221.54). All are being drafted after Carlos Delgado and Russ Branyan, players who are free agents whose situation is unclear.

The loss of power is a problem, but if you play in a league where Helton has value, why take him nearly 40 picks before Helton, who should post similar stats with a touch of speed?

What are your thoughts on these two options? Would you look to them in any format?  Why or why not?

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Previous Late Round Option Articles:

• 5 Late Round Strikeout Options
• 2 Late Round Catching Options
  
• 2 Late Round Second Base Options

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