A Look Back at our 2013 Consensus First Base Rankings

Yesterday, I began my review of the Fake Teams 2013 Consensus Position Rankings by looking at the catcher position. Today, take a look at the first base position.

The first base position in 2013 was headlined by two first baseman who led their respective leagues i home runs and RBI, Chris Davis and Paul Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt got some love from fantasy writers heading into 2013 drafts, but I have to admit I was not aboard that train, and that was my miss.

Here are a few stats to ponder when reviewing the catcher position for fantasy purposes:

• There were only six first baseman to hit 30 home runs, and 19 who hit 20 or more home runs this season.
• Only seven first baseman drove in 100 or more runs.
• Only five every day first baseman ended the season with a slugging percentage over .500.

Remember when first base was a position of power? Yeah, me too.

Now let's take a look at our individual and consensus fantasy first baseman rankings for 2013:

Three Up

Paul Goldschmidt, ARI

Goldschmidt led the National League in home runs (actually, tied with Pedro Alvarez) and RBI and will be the first overall first baseman taken in NL only leagues in 2014. Goldy hit 36 home runs, drove in 125 and stole 15 bases too boot. He's a Top 12 pick in 2014, hands down.

Chris Davis, BAL

Who saw this power output from Davis coming this season? Not I. David led MLB in home runs with 53 and in RBI with 138. The question for fantasy owners will be what can he do in 2014? Expecting him to hit 50 home runs would be foolish. I say he hits between 35-40, and I am not sure who I will rank at #1 amongst fantasy first baseman right now.

Eric Hosmer, KC

I think everyone knows how I feel about Hosmer, and I own him in an AL only keeper league, so I am not just touting him. I own him too. Hosmer hit .302 with 17 HRs, 86 runs, 79 RBI and 11 stolen bases this season, hitting .300 or better in each of the last four months of the season. He hit 16 of his 17 home runs from June - September, so a 20+ HR season in 2014 is not out of the question.

Freddie Freeman, ATL

I am here to tell you that I was too negative on Freeman this season. After taking a look at the stats I provided above, power is down at the position, and Freeman provided solid production in four categories in 2013. Freeman ended the season hitting .319-.396-.501 with 23 HRs, 89 runs and 109 RBI, ranking in the top five in runs scored and RBI and in the top ten in home runs amongst all fantasy first baseman.

Three Down

Joey Votto, CIN

Votto is one of the best, if not THE best, hitters in the game. Yet, for fantasy owners, we want more from him. He plays a position that owners expect 25-30 home runs and 90-100 RBI every year, and he fails to meet those requirements. Actually, he has failed to meet those requirements for the past two seasons. I am sure to ding him in my 2014 first base rankings in January. If you own him in an OBP league, he is probably the #1 overall pick, or at least in the top 5 conversation. But in straight fantasy or roto leagues, he drops to the 2^nd round for me.

Billy Butler, KC

Butler could not duplicate his 2012 power production at the plate, and we also saw his RBI total drop as well. He hit just 15 home runs this season, after hitting 29 in 2012. We may look back at 2012 as his career high home run total. Like Votto, he will drop in fantasy rankings in 2014, but he is still one of the better hitters at the first base position.

Albert Pujols, LAA

Albert Pujols had his worst year as a big leaguer in 2013, hitting just .258-.330-.437 with 17 HRs, 49 runs and 64 RBI in just 99 games this season. He suffered all season with plantar fasciitis and was eventually placed on the DL after the Angels decided they could not compete for a wild card spot this season. What does the future hold for Pujols? I see him dropping in most rankings in 2014, and we could have seen the best out of him already. He is no spring chicken and deals with several injuries every year, so he is an injury risk going forward.