Fantasy Baseball: 2010 Top 20 First Basemen Rankings

Here's my second look at the fantasy first basemen rankings.

1. Albert Pujols: My thoughts haven't wavered on Pujols as the #1 first baseman. Nobody's have.

2. Ryan Howard: I bumped him up a spot. His average isn't going to kill you, but you simply can't ignore the HRs and RBIs he brings to the table. Sure, Prince Fielder was toe-to-toe with him last year, and Tex and Miggy have the potential, but Howard has been doing it for four straight years.
(2006-2009): .278, 102 runs, 49.5 HRs, 143 RBIs, 2.5 SBs

3. Mark Teixeira: I rank Tex at three simply because of the ballpark and lineup he's in.

4. Miguel Cabrera: I went into further detail with Cabrera (click to see article) to justify the #4 ranking. I think his average is more likely to be a competitive edge over Prince Fielder, than Fielder's HRs and RBIs over Cabrera.

5. Prince Fielder: His #5 ranking is merely a reflection as to how deep the position is.

6. Victor Martinez: Technically a catcher, V-Mart has first base eligibility. That dramatically adds to his value.

7. Kevin Youkilis: Same goes for Youk, but replace catcher with third base.

8. Adrian Gonzalez: Quietly, steadily a nice source of HRs and RBIs.

9. Justin Morneau: I bumped him down a few notches mainly because of his injury history and the uncertainty of Target Field. Weather could play a key role in the opening and closing months of his season.

10. Joey Votto: Another player we profiled (click here for the article). Potential for a .310 average with 25-30 HRs and 100-110 RBIs.

11. Mark Reynolds: Reynolds has more value as a third basemen, but his speed and power combo makes him a #1 fantasy first basemen as well.

12. Kendry Morales: I'm concerned with the departure of Vladimir Guerrero even though they brought in Hideki Matsui. I'd still use him as a low-end fantasy 1B starter.

13. Billy Butler: Butler moved up on the list after looking deeper at his numbers. He figured out to hit righties last year, which should make his value soar.

14. Pablo Sandoval: Another third basemen with first basemen eligibility. I question the power, but the average should be there.

15. Lance Berkman: He has dominated in his last four "even" years. I don't see quite the output this year, but he's still a nice CI/Util option.

16. Adam Dunn: You can just about pencil Dunn in for 40 HRs and 100 RBIs. You'll have to live with the average.

17. Carlos Pena: Same deal as Dunn, only a worse average and fewer HRs.

18. Derrek Lee: I don't believe in his 2009 power numbers (35 HRs, 111 RBIs, .972 OPS), but I do like him as a CI/Util/backup 1B.

19. Adam LaRoche: He's averaged 24.6 HRs and 84.8 RBIs the past five years. With Arizona, He has a chance to take a step forward.

20. Michael Cuddyer: Cuddy played well filling in for Morneau last year, and made him more valuable this year with his 1B eligibility. He'll give you a decent amount of runs, HRs, and RBIs.

Click to see the rest of the 2010 fantasy baseball rankings.