MLB Rankings: Best First Basemen 25 and Under

The Los Angeles Angels and Detroit Tigers shored up their first-base position for the foreseeable future this offseason when they signed Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, respectively.

Meanwhile, other teams look internally to fill their starting first-base job in hopes of latching onto the next Pujols or Fielder.

So here is a look at the best first basemen age 25 and under, guys who could anchor their team's lineups for the next decade.

Ages are taken based on the player's playing age (age on June 30th) for the upcoming season.

This is the second in a series of articles looking at talent 25 and under by position. A link to the first is below.

Catcher

No. 10: Chris Parmelee, Minnesota Twins

Age: 24

2011 Stats: .287/.366/.436, 13 HR, 83 RBI, 76 R at Double-A
.355/.443/.592, 4 HR, 14 RBI, 8 R at Minnesota

The 20th overall pick in the 2006 draft, Parmelee spent four seasons in Single-A before finally turning a corner and reaching Double-A early in the 2010 season. 

Still just 24 despite the fact he is entering his seventh professional season, Parmelee impressed in a 76 at-bat audition last season to once again put himself among the Twins top prospects.

Now, he ranks as one of the better young offensive prospects in the league as he entered the 2012 season as the Twins starting first baseman with Justin Morneau spending most of his time at DH.

No. 9: Brandon Belt, San Francisco Giants

Age: 24

2011 Stats: .320/.461/.528, 8 HR, 36 RBI, 35 R at Single-A and Triple-A
.225/.306/.412, 9 HR, 18 RBI, 21 R at San Francisco
    

A fifth-round pick in the 2009 draft, Belt burst onto the professional scene in 2010 with a .352 BA, 23 HR, 112 RBI, 22 SB season that began at High Single-A and ended in Triple-A.

He broke camp with the big league club last season, but struggled to a .192 average before being sent down on April 19th. He was called back up again for good on July 19th, but his end-of-the-year numbers were far from impressive.

Belt once again earned a job out of spring training this season, edging out Aubrey Huff for the starting first-base job, and while he has started just 1-of-10, he should eventually find his stride, and he figures to be a big part of the Giants future.

No. 8: Matt Adams, St. Louis Cardinals

Age: 23

2011 Stats: .300/.357/.566, 32 HR, 101 RBI, 80 R at Double-A

Drafted all the way in the 23rd round of the 2009 MLB draft, Adams has done nothing but hit since his first pro season when he went .355 BA, 10 HR, 52 RBI in just 245 at-bats.

He opened this season in Triple-A, and is already off to a hot start at 6-for-19 with three HR and six RBI, and it won't be long until the big 6'3" and 230-pound slugger is in St. Louis.

With Lance Berkman on a one-year deal, he could win a shot at the everyday first-base job next season if he continues to put up numbers this season and impresses when he inevitably earns a call-up.

No. 7: Justin Smoak, Seattle Mariners

Age: 25

2011 Stats: .234/.323/.396, 15 HR, 55 RBI, 38 R at Seattle

The Mariners key acquisition in the trade that sent Cliff Lee to the Rangers at the deadline in 2010, Smoak already has two big league seasons under his belt at the age of 25.

While he has displayed solid power with what would average out to about 21 home runs over a full season of at-bats, he also strikes out a ton and holds a career average of just .225.

He'll need to make more consistent contact to take the next step and emerge as a legitimate franchise first baseman, and the offensive-starved Mariners will give him every chance to succeed.

No. 6: Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs

Age: 22

2011 Stats: .331/.404/.652, 26 HR, 101 RBI, 64 R at Triple-A
.141/.281/.242, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 9 R at San Diego

Acquired this winter from the Padres for reliever Andrew Cashner, Rizzo looks to be the Cubs future at first base and in the middle of their order.

He became expendable in San Diego after the team acquired another top first-base prospect in Yonder Alonso from the Reds in the Mat Latos deal.

Rizzo has annihilated minor league pitching, but he struggled in his first big league action last season so the whenever the Cubs decide to call him up it will be for good. He's off to a hot start, as he is 9-for-20 with three HR and nine RBI, and he should see Chicago at some point in 2012.

No. 5: Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks

Age: 24

2011 Stats: .306/.435/.626, 30 HR, 94 RBI, 84 R at Double-A
.250/.333/.474, 8 HR, 26 RBI, 28 R at Arizona

After back-to-back dominant minor league seasons, Goldschmidt took over as the Diamondbacks everyday first baseman on August 1st last season, as he stepped into the middle of the team's playoff push.

His power is for real, and if he can get on base more he'll shore up the first-base position in Arizona for the next decade. At the very least he'll man the position for the foreseeable future as the Diamondbacks will give him every chance to emerge as a middle-of-the-order force.

No. 4: Yonder Alonso, San Diego Padres

Age: 25

2011 Stats: .296/.374/.486, 12 HR, 56 RBI, 46 R at Triple-A
.330/.398/.545, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 9 R at Cincinnati

After being buried behind Joey Votto on the Reds depth chart the past few seasons, Alonso finally has a clear path to playing time after joining the Padres this offseason in the deal that brought Mat Latos to the Reds.

The team showed their confidence in him shortly after acquiring him when they traded fellow top first-base prospect Anthony Rizzo to the Cubs, making Alonso the unquestioned starter of the present and future.

Alonso does not have elite power to begin with, and playing in Petco will make him a 15 to 20 HR player at best, but he should hit plenty of doubles and push for an average around .300, as he should be a productive run producer. 

No. 3: Ike Davis, New York Mets

Age: 25

2011 Stats: .302/.383/.543, 7 HR, 25 RBI, 20 R at New York

Coming off of a .264 BA, 19 HR, 71 RBI season as a rookie in 2010, Davis looked ready to break out last season with a .302 BA, seven HR, 25 RBI line through 36 games.

However, he suffered what wound up being a season-ending ankle injury and now he is looking to pick up where he left off.

His 0-for-15 start to open the season certainly isn't promising, but he has the talent to be the Mets primary run producer and he factors big time into their future plans as they continue to rebuild their roster.

No. 2: Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves

Age: 22

2011 Stats: .282/.346/.448, 21 HR, 76 RBI, 67 R at Atlanta

Handed the Braves starting first-base job out of spring training last season at the age of 21, Freeman more than held his own as he finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting to teammate Craig Kimbrel.

With a big 6'5" frame, he should continue to develop into a better power hitter, and he has the plate discipline and contact rate to consistently push for a .300 average.

At this point, he has as much upside as any 22-year-old in baseball, and if Jason Heyward can bounce back and he can continue to progress they should give the Braves a formidable one-two punch in the middle of the order for years to come.

No. 1: Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals

Age: 22

2011 Stats: .293/.334/.465, 19 HR, 78 RBI, 66 R at Kansas City

There may be no team in baseball with more exciting young talent than the Royals, and at the heart of it all is slugging first baseman Eric Hosmer.

The third overall pick in the 2008 draft, Hosmer shot through the Royals system after being taken out of high school, and a .439 BA, three HR, 15 RBI line through his first 26 games at Triple-A last season was too much for the Royals to leave him down and delay his arbitration-eligibility as they had no doubt planned.

He has the makings of a franchise cornerstone, and should be a consistent .300 BA, 30 HR, 100 RBI guy within the next couple of seasons, as he will be key in the Royals return to contention.