MLB 2011: Power Ranking Each Team's First Baseman After the First Two Months
The first base position has always been regarded as a position of power in Major League Baseball. Traditionally, players are a bit bigger and wield a heavy bat, often batting somewhere in the middle of the order.
That recipe hasn't changed much over the years--teams still look for a first baseman who can hit for power and field the position well. This year, some new faces have joined the ranks and have provided their teams with solid offensive punch along with steady glove work.
We will take a look at where each team's first baseman ranks after the first two months of the season, and you might be surprised at where some of them fall in the ranks.
Doug Mead is a featured columnist with Bleacher Report. His work has been featured on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, SF Gate, CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle. Follow Doug on Twitter, @Sports_A_Holic.
30. Daric Barton: Oakland Athletics
1 of 30
There is no question that the Oakland Athletics are built around their incredible pitching, and with Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill and Brett Anderson all posting numbers that were expected at the beginning of the season, that has certainly borne itself out thus far.
What wasn’t expected was the truly awful start to the season by first baseman Daric Barton. Barton has been mired in a season-long slump that has him hitting just .206 with no homers and 13 RBI.
Can you tell me the last time a regular first baseman was playing into the month of June with zero home runs? I sure can’t.
29. James Loney: Los Angeles Dodgers
2 of 30
A lot has gone wrong in Los Angeles this season. Dodgers’ owner Frank McCourt is borrowing heavily just to meet payroll, MLB is overseeing virtually every move the front office makes, and the on-field product has been less than stellar thus far.
For first baseman James Loney, it has been a particularly tough go of it. Hitting just .245 with three home runs and 18 RBI, there are rumors that Loney will not be tendered by the Dodgers at the end of the season.
The power that the Dodgers had hoped would develop with Loney has not come to fruition, and Loney has clearly struggled to provide an offensive surge for the Dodgers, who have little power already beyond Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier.
28. Brad Hawpe: San Diego Padres
3 of 30
Brad Hawpe, originally a right fielder when he broke into the majors with the Colorado Rockies, was signed to a one-year, $2 million deal by the San Diego Padres to play first base after Adrian Gonzalez was traded to the Boston Red Sox.
Hawpe had his best offensive years between 2006-2009, hitting over 20 home runs with at least 80 RBI in all four seasons. However, last year saw a dramatic dropoff in production for Hawpe, who struggled throughout the season, finally being released by the Rockies in late August.
Fortunately, the Padres only committed one year to Hawpe, with a team option for next season that includes a $1 million buyout. Hawpe has been less than impressive, hitting just .239 with four homers and 15 RBI.
The Padres have Anthony Rizzo at Triple-A Tucson, where he is currently hitting .370 and could be ready to take over at first sooner rather than later.
.png?w=256)
27. Derrek Lee: Baltimore Orioles
4 of 30
It’s hard to see how the Baltimore Orioles can’t look at the $7.25 million they spent on first baseman Derrek Lee and say that it was money well-spent.
Lee, who saw his production drop dramatically last season between Chicago and Atlanta, is hitting just .231 with four home runs and 14 RBI thus far in 2011.
Lee is currently on the DL with an oblique strain, and is expected back in the lineup sometime around mid-June. The only reason Lee isn’t last on this list is the fact that his defense is better than than the three below him.
26. Juan Miranda: Arizona Diamondbacks
5 of 30
Juan Miranda was signed as a free agent first baseman out of Cuba by the New York Yankees in 2006. While he was developing his skills, the Yankees jumped on free agent Mark Teixeira and signed him to a long-term contract, leaving Miranda in limbo.
Miranda was dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks by the Yankees last November, and while he shown flashes of success here and there (two homers and four RBI on May 27), the season so far has been largely hit and miss for Miranda.
He is currently hitting .243 with five homers and 15 RBI, and occasionally splitting time at first with Xavier Nady.
The Diamondbacks are surging and playing well early in 2011, and Miranda has raised his average 36 points since May 17, so manager Kirk Gibson will likely keep inserting Miranda in the lineup to see if the slugging Cuban is able to sustain his recent good play.
25. Justin Morneau: Minnesota Twins
6 of 30
The Minnesota Twins are still waiting for Justin Morneau to get back to his regular self after suffering ill effects from a concussion sustained in early July last season.
The concussion and resulting effects ended Morneau’s season last year, and while he appears to be fully recovered, his numbers suggest otherwise.
Thus far, Morneau is hitting just .243 with four homers and 20 RBI, and currently doesn’t resemble anything even close to the player who became the American League MVP in 2006 and one of the American League’s top first basemen ever since.
24. Casey Kotchman: Tampa Bay Rays
7 of 30
I know, you’re thinking, how can a guy be ranked so low when he’s hitting .361? Because along with that average Kotchman only has two home runs and 12 RBI.
The average is great, but for a corner infielder, that type of production is not even close to what is expected.
Kotchman is a fantastic defensive first baseman, there is no doubt about that. MLB.com pointed out that Kotchman has only committed nine errors in 5,168 chances, the best in league history.
That’s all great and good and everything, but four team changes in two years suggests that teams need a first baseman who can drive in runs.
23. Lyle Overbay: Pittsburgh Pirates
8 of 30
Lyle Overbay is playing in his 11th season in the majors, his first with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Overbay has provided his fairly normal offensive output—five home runs, 21 RBI and a .238 average.
Again, numbers that led the Toronto Blue Jays not to offer Overbay a contract to return. Overbay is turning into another Kotchman, but with a lighter batting average.
22. Carlos Pena: Chicago Cubs
9 of 30
Carlos Pena signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Cubs during the offseason, a stop-gap measure by the Cubs to have someone play first for one year until they could make a play for either Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder.
Pena’s production has picked up somewhat in the month of May, now with seven home runs and 24 RBI, however his .214 average is more indicative of the type of hitter he has become—a strikeout hitter who will occasionally hit the long ball.
21. Freddie Freeman: Atlanta Braves
10 of 30
Freddie Freeman is playing his first full season with the Braves, and with a .270 average, five home runs and 19 RBI, he has certainly held his own in his rookie season.
Defensively, Freeman hasn’t been too bad either, committing just three errors in 520 total chances for a .994 fielding percentage.
Freeman is clearly the player that the Braves view as their first baseman of the future, and along with Brian McCann and Jason Heyward should form the nucleus of the Braves’ middle of the batting order for years to come.
20. Aubrey Huff: San Francisco Giants
11 of 30
If I had made out this list one day earlier, Aubrey Huff would have been lower on this list. However, Huff’s three home runs and six RBI in the Giants’ 12-7 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night redeemed him.
Huff did on Thursday night what the Giants absolutely need him to do for the rest of the season, especially with Buster Posey shelved for the season.
Huff’s big night boosted him to eight home runs, 30 RBI and a .233 batting average, and he will need to capitalize on his big night if the Giants are going to have any chance of defending their World Series championship.
19. Justin Smoak: Seattle Mariners
12 of 30
Justin Smoak was the player the Mariners wanted when they traded Cliff Lee last season to the Texas Rangers.
At just 24 years old and in his second full season in the majors, Smoak is still developing, and Mariners fans are starting to see some of the offensive pop that Smoak can deliver.
Smoak is hitting .246 thus far with nine home runs and 32 RBI, pretty decent numbers that project to a possible 30/100 season for Smoak. He has an improving eye at the plate as well, drawing 28 walks with a .349 on-base percentage.
18. Eric Hosmer: Kansas City Royals
13 of 30
If I were to make out this list in another month or so, I would probably have Kansas City Royals’ rookie first baseman Eric Hosmer in or near the top ten.
Hosmer has done nothing to suggest that he doesn’t belong in the majors after just 25 games, hitting .290 with five home runs and 17 RBI.
If he continues providing solid offense for the Royals, Hosmer could be challenging Seattle Mariners pitcher Michael Pineda for Rookie of the Year honors at the end of the season.
17. Matt LaPorta: Cleveland Indians
14 of 30
Originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers but homeless with the emergence of Prince Fielder, LaPorta has found a home with the Cleveland Indians.
LaPorta was originally an outfielder; however, he has found a home at first base with the team that is the surprise of the league thus far.
LaPorta has provided solid offensive production for the Tribe, with eight homers and 27 RBI and a .255 batting average.
Still just 26 years of age, LaPorta figures to be part of a young nucleus for the Indians that includes Asdrubal Cabrera, Carlos Santana, Michael Brantley and Lonnie Chisenhall, who could be with the Indians by the end of the season.
16. Brett Wallace: Houston Astros
15 of 30
Brett Wallace, the 13th overall pick in the 2006 Rule 4 Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals, has put together a solid season thus far for the Houston Astros, hitting .320 with a .390 on-base percentage and .860 OPS.
Wallace has 15 doubles, good for a tie for fourth in the National League, however with just four home runs and 18 RBI, Wallace has not provided the run production thus far that would have him higher on this list. An otherwise anemic offense for the Astros certainly hasn’t helped his case.
Nonetheless, Wallace is definitely a keeper for the Astros, who will no doubt be going through a rebuilding process with their new ownership.
15. Ike Davis: New York Mets
16 of 30
New York Mets first baseman Ike Davis impressed a lot of folks last season, with a .264 average, 19 homers and 71 RBI, finishing seventh in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting.
Davis got off to a great start this year, appearing to avoid the sophomore jinx with a .302 average, seven homers and 25 RBI.
Unfortunately, Davis went down with a severe ankle sprain and bone bruise on May 10, and there is no timetable for his return.
Davis’ ankle has been slow to heal, and this week was placed back in a walking boot after an MRI revealed the ankle has not healed as quickly as was expected.
Mets fans may not see Davis back in the lineup until possibly after the All-Star break.
14. Michael Morse: Washington Nationals
17 of 30
After seeing limited action over the course of the last six seasons with the Seattle Mariners and Washington Nationals, Michael Morse has been a pleasant surprise as the full-time first baseman for the Nats this season.
Morse is currently hitting .319 with seven home runs and 26 RBI, and at 29 years of age, he finally seems to be hitting his stride at the plate.
13. Todd Helton: Colorado Rockies
18 of 30
Many Rockies fans had first baseman Todd Helton left for dead after a miserable 2010 season during which Helton hit just .256, almost a full 70 points below his career average of .323.
However, Helton has been much more the Helton of old in 2011, with a .306 average, seven home runs and 23 RBI.
At 37 years of age, it’s unlikely that Helton will match his offensive production that made him one of the elite first basemen in the mid-2000s, but his production thus far has been impressive, and his on-field leadership is a valuable commodity for manager Jim Tracy and the younger Rockies players.
12. Adam Lind: Toronto Blue Jays
19 of 30
Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Adam Lind, out since May 8 with lower back stiffness, has been rehabbing with Single-A Dunedin, and could be activated as early as this weekend when the Blue Jays travel to Baltimore.
Lind was off to a great start, hitting .313 with seven home runs and 27 RBI.
The Blue Jays are hoping that Lind can pick up right where he left off, providing the offense with a much-needed boost. A Blue Jays offense with both Lind and Jose Bautista can be daunting indeed.
11. Mitch Moreland: Texas Rangers
20 of 30
The Texas Rangers have a player in Mitch Moreland that they can literally plug in anywhere in the batting order or on the field, and not lose offensive production as a result.
Moreland helped cover right field while Nelson Cruz was on the disabled list, and his numbers never dipped.
In a Texas Rangers offense that is indeed potent, Moreland has been a nice complement, with a .307 average, seven home runs and 18 RBI.
Manager Ron Washington has the option of plugging Moreland in wherever he needs him without seeing a fluctuation in numbers, which is a nice commodity to have on any team.
10. Mark Trumbo: Los Angeles Angels
21 of 30
When the Los Angeles Angels learned that rehabbing first baseman Kendrys Morales would be starting the season on the disabled list to continue his recovery from a broken left ankle suffered last May 29, they turned to rookie Mark Trumbo to fill the position until Morales was healthy.
Now, with Morales opting for another surgery to remove degenerative cysts from his ankle and putting him on the shelf for the rest of the season, Trumbo is no longer looking over his shoulder wondering when he’ll be back on the bench.
Trumbo is currently hitting .255 with 10 home runs and 28 RBI, and has been impressive with his glove at first base. Trumbo led the minors last year with 39 home runs, and now Angels’ fans are seeing that raw power on display.
9. Albert Pujols: St. Louis Cardinals
22 of 30
Fans of Albert Pujols are probably screaming about Pujols barely cracking the top ten on this list.
However, there is no doubt that Pujols is either playing injured, or the weight of his upcoming contract negotiations are weighing heavily on his mind.
Pujols is currently hitting .265 with nine home runs and 31 RBI. While he could certainly turn it around and post 30/100 numbers with maybe a .300 batting average, it’s still a long ways from the incredible numbers posted over the last several seasons.
At one time on Wednesday’s game against the San Francisco Giants, Pujols could be seen flexing his legs on several occasions in the batters’ box, giving rise to rumors that he is clearly playing hurt.
Pujols will certainly never admit that, especially with Matt Holliday and David Freese currently on the disabled list.
Pujols will continue to play through whatever is ailing him; however, the numbers he has put up thus far will clearly hurt his contract status at the end of the season.
8. Gaby Sanchez: Florida Marlins
23 of 30
After an impressive rookie campaign in which he hit .273 with 19 home runs and 85 RBI, Florida Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez is putting up even better numbers this season. Sanchez is currently hitting .316, good for ninth overall in the National League, with nine home runs and 35 RBI.
Sanchez has become a rock for the Marlins, especially this year. With all-world shortstop Hanley Ramirez mired in a season-long slump, Sanchez has picked it up, and projects out to at least a 30/100 season, certainly not bad for an encore.
So much for the sophomore jinx.
7. Ryan Howard: Philadelphia Phillies
24 of 30
Ryan Howard has had to bear a heavy load for Philadelphia, with the early-season injuries to Chase Utley and Shane Victorino, the loss of Jayson Werth to free agency and the early-season slump suffered by Raul Ibanez.
Fortunately, Utley is back in the lineup and Ibanez has rebounded from a terrible start, taking the pressure off Howard somewhat. Thus far, Howard is hitting .252 with 12 home runs and 42 RBI.
6. Prince Fielder: Milwaukee Brewers
25 of 30
Prince Fielder is playing for a contract. If you weren’t living under a rock somewhere, you probably already knew that. However, Fielder very well could be playing for a contract with another team.
It certainly doesn’t appear to be weighing too heavily on his mind at the plate. Fielder is currently hitting .291 with 11 home runs and 42 RBI, and he is on pace to match his numbers of previous seasons.
Fielder continues to be involved in rumors regarding trade deadline deals, but in the meantime, he just continues hitting.
5. Paul Konerko: Chicago White Sox
26 of 30
Last season, Paul Konerko rebounded from a down year in 2009, with 39 homers, 111 RBI and a .312 batting average.
Konerko is picking up right where he left off this season as well, hitting .310 with 12 homers and 44 RBI, good for second in the American League.
With Adam Dunn still struggling to find his way with his new team, and right fielder Alex Rios currently punchless as well, Konerko has been the rock for the White Sox, who haven’t had a whole lot to cheer about early on in 2011.
4. Mark Teixeira: New York Yankees
27 of 30
First baseman Mark Teixeira is golden with the glove, as evidenced by his two straight Gold Glove awards. He hasn’t been too shabby at the plate, either.
Teixeira is currently hitting .257 with 16 HR and 38 RBI, combining with Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano to help the Yankees lead the American League in home runs and runs scored.
3. Joey Votto: Cincinnati Reds
28 of 30
Joey Votto is picking up right where he left off last season, when he won the National League MVP award with 37 homers, 113 RBI and a .324 batting average.
Through the first two months of the 2011 season, Votto is hitting .338, good for second in the NL, with seven home runs and 32 RBI.
The Cincinnati Reds’ strength is in their potent offense, and Votto continues to impress with his plate discipline, his ability to hit to all fields and his on-field, lead-by-example approach.
2. Miguel Cabrera: Detroit Tigers
29 of 30
All of the off-field troubles that Miguel Cabrera found before spring training even started certainly hasn’t slowed down his on-field production.
Cabrera is currently hitting .311 with 11 homers and 40 RBI, and he shows no signs of slowing down at all.
Cabrera anchors a Detroit Tigers offense that has seen injuries to Victor Martinez, Jose Guillen and Magglio Ordonez.
The Tigers are still four and a half games behind the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central, but with Cabrera continuing to lead the offense, the Tigers will always have a chance.
1. Adrian Gonzalez: Boston Red Sox
30 of 30
It’s hard to minimize the impact that Adrian Gonzalez has had on the Boston Red Sox thus far in 2011.
Even when the Sox were slumping early, Gonzalez was the man carrying the offensive load while Carl Crawford, Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia were suffering early-season slumps.
Gonzalez has a .329 average, fourth-best in the American League; 46 runs batted in, good for first in the AL; 17 doubles, tied for second in the AL; and 76 hits, which leads the AL.
Not too shabby for his first year in the AL.
.png?w=480)
