Fantasy Baseball 2016: Top 20 NL-Only First Base Rankings

For those of you who play in mono or "only" leagues, I will be publishing my NL-only first base rankings today and my AL-only first base rankings tomorrow.

First base is a position where you want to make sure you draft a solid power hitter, one capable of hitting 25-35 home runs and driving in near 100 runs, while hitting for a good average. Last season, 20 hitters hit 30 or more home runs, nine of which were first baseman, but only two of them hailed from a National League club. Reds first baseman Joey Votto just missed the 30 home run club, hitting 29 bombs last season. In addition, 16 first baseman hit 20 or more home runs in 2015, nine of which played in the National League.

Those of you who play in OBP leagues, the NL has some of the best the position has to offer, as both Paul Goldschmidt and Joey Votto reached base 44% of their plate appearances last season, as Votto was second in MLB with a .459 on base percentage behind only Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper. The NL league average OBP last season was .316 and 14 NL-only first baseman with 300+ plate appearances exceeded the league average, 11 of which reached base at a .350 clip or better.

In an era where platoons are popping up everywhere, nine NL first baseman exceeded 500 plate appearances last season, with Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo leading the way with 701.

First Base Prospects who can make an impact in 2016

Josh Bell, Pirates

Bell is the Pirates first baseman of the future, but is still learning the position after making the position switch about a year ago. With the Pirates blessed with a young outfield, the Pirates front office decided that Bell's fastest path to the big leagues was first base, but the move has had some bumps along the way. Bell is still learning how to field the position, and may not be ready in 2016. That said, the guy can hit and has a solid eye at the plate. The only thing missing from his offensive skills is the ability to hit for power, but the front office feels the power will come.

Bell is blocked by Jason Rogers, John Jaso and Michael Morse presently, but if Bell shows he can handle first base and starts hitting for power, we could see him manning first base sometime in 2016.

Top 20 NL-Only First Base Rankings for 2016

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