| First Baseman Rankings |
| Rank |
Team |
Player |
Avg. |
Runs |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
| 1 |
 |
Ryan Howard |
.268 |
94 |
47 |
136 |
1 |
|
Howard might strike out too often to hit .300 every year. But if not for a leg injury last season, he would have topped 50 HRs and 140 RBIs for a second straight season. The fact that he hits in a superior lineup gives Howard a slight edge over Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder.
|
| 2 |
 |
Prince Fielder |
.288 |
109 |
50 |
119 |
2 |
|
It's easy to forget that Fielder is nearly five years younger than Ryan Howard. He should battle Howard again for the NL home run crown. |
| 3 |
 |
Albert Pujols |
.327 |
99 |
32 |
103 |
2 |
Teams will continue to pitch around Pujols often since St. Louis doesn't have a proven veteran in the lineup to protect him. And his aching elbow is a major concern. But Pujols is among the fantasy elite, and if he stays healthy he should improve on last season's power numbers. He topped 40 HRs in four consecutive seasons prior to 2007.
|
| 4 |
 |
Lance Berkman |
.278 |
95 |
34 |
102 |
7 |
A slow start hurt Berkman's final 2007 stat line. But he remains capable of hitting .300 with 40 homers.
|
| 5 |
 |
Carlos Pena |
.282 |
99 |
46 |
121 |
1 |
|
Pena was the biggest surprise of 2007. Considered one of baseball's top prospects nearly 10 years ago, he had struggled through six big league seasons and seemed destined to be a career minor leaguer. But he found his power stroke in Tampa, putting up monster numbers despite sitting on the bench for the season's first two weeks. Maybe it will be a fluke, but numbers like he posted in 2007 are too good to ignore. |
| 6 |
 |
Derrek Lee |
.317 |
91 |
22 |
82 |
6 |
|
An early-season power outage kept Lee from putting up his usual 30 homers and 90 RBIs. But Lee bounced back with 16 HRs after the All-Star break and should get back to mashing this season.
|
| 7 |
 |
Mark Teixeira |
.306 | 86 | 30 | 105 | 0 |
|
Teixeira put up huge numbers after being traded to Atlanta last July. In just one-third of a season as a Brave, he hit .317 with 17 homers, 56 RBIs, and 38 runs. I'm not sure Teixeira can keep up that pace playing his home games in pitcher-friendly Turner Field. But he looks very comfortable in a Braves uniform.
|
| 8 |
 |
Justin Morneau |
.271 |
84 |
31 |
111 |
1 |
|
Morneau didn't match his huge numbers from his MVP season in 2006. But he's a safe bet to post 30 homers and 100 RBIs for a third straight season, especially if star catcher Joe Mauer stays healthy and sets the table for Morneau. |
| 9 |
 |
Adrian Gonzalez |
.282 |
101 |
30 |
100 |
0 |
|
Like most hitters, Gonzalez doesn't fare all that well in San Diego's Petco Park. He hit just .266 with 10 homers and 36 RBIs there last season. But Gonzalez made up for it by mashing the ball on the road: .290, 20 HRs, and 64 RBIs. Expect more of the same from the 25-year-old.
|
| 10 |
 |
Paul Konerko |
.259 |
71 |
31 |
90 |
0 |
|
Konerko won't get a lot of RBI opportunities with a lack of a great table setter in Chicago's lineup. But he remains one of the best power-hitting threats in baseball.
|
| 11 |
 |
James Loney |
.331 |
41 |
15 |
67 |
0 |
|
It's amazing that the Dodgers waited so long to get Loney into their lineup. But the rookie tore it up once he got his chance, as those statistics came over a little more than half a season. If Loney continues to smack hits with runners in scoring position (.419 average last season), he's going to be among the league leaders in RBIs.
|
| 12 |
 |
Todd Helton |
.320 |
86 |
17 |
91 |
0 |
|
Helton has become a bit of a forgotten man due to his dwindling home run numbers (he hit 49 homers in 2001, but has a combined 52 HR over the past three seasons). Still, Helton is a line drive hitting machine who has hit .300 or better in each of his 10 major league seasons.
|
| 13 |
 |
Adam LaRoche |
.272 |
71 |
21 |
88 |
1 |
|
LaRoche had a nightmarish start in his first year as a Pirate, hitting an atrocious .133 in April. But he bounced back with a big second half, hitting .312 after the All-Star break. LaRoche could keep that up in 2008, but he won't have a lot of help hitting in Pittsburgh's week lineup.
|
| 14 |
 |
Conor Jackson |
.284 |
56 |
15 |
60 |
2 |
|
Jackson will have a starting job all to himself after sharing time with Tony Clark last season. He's a good line-drive hitter, and the 25-year-old is showing signs of 25-HR power.
|
| 15 |
 |
Dmitri Young |
.320 |
57 |
13 |
74 |
0 |
|
After nearly washing out of the league two seasons ago, the "Meat Hook" was re-born in Washington. He'll move to the outfield if regular first baseman Nick Johnson returns from injury. Young might not match that career-high batting average. But increased playing time, combined with a new, more hitter-friendly ballpark for the Nats, should lead to better power numbers.
|
