2012 Rankings: C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP | RP | PDFicon Cheatsheet

2012 Fantasy Baseball First Base Rankings Outlook:
This is quite a different year for first basemen. Like no other year the drop off from the first to the second tier is more apparent. Tier one has all the studs that will get you a good average, tons of homeruns, and monster totals of runs batted in. These five guys: Pujols, Votto, Fielder, Gonzo, and Teixeira make up tier one and will be gone in most draft by the start of the third round. In years past we would say to let them go by and fill up on the other positions but that is not the case this season. If you can get one of these five guys early, we say do it, as the question marks start as early as our first player in tier two.
 
Tier two is our young guy tier and if they all live up to what their respective teams are hoping for we could be talking about how first base is the deepest of all positions. Until they prove it however, you have to be worried about banking on so many stats on a young first baseman. Out of the bunch our number 6 overall first baseman Eric Hosmer looks to be the safest as he came into the bigs early last season and was great from start to finish. Pair him with Davis, Freeman, and Goldschmidt and tier two is full of young upside guys.  
 
Just outside of the top ten are all those guys that we know and love. Ryan Howard would have been higher on our rankings but he is coming off the nasty injury, and by all accounts will miss some games at the start of the season. Morales and Morneau are both coming off injuries as well but if healthy could have a great return on investment based on where you can get them in the draft.
 
Draft-Day Advice: Grab them early if you can. We are confident on the top five guys but after that the question marks start. There is a ton of youth in this tier and a ton of bounce back candidates so if you don’t get an elite guy grabbing one of each is not such a bad idea.

The following are our 2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings, which are based on standard 5×5 scoring and take into account projected stats as well as upside and risk. Offensive categories include BA, HRs, Runs, RBIs, and SBs. Pitching categories are Wins, ERA, WHIP, Ks, and Saves. Although several players are eligible at multiple positions, they are listed at the position that they will most likely play the most in 2012. All leagues have different position eligibility requirements so be sure to check your settings before draft day.

RankTierPlayerTmABHAVGHRRRBISB
11Albert PujolsANA5791730.29937105999
21Joey VottoCIN5991850.309291011038
31Prince FielderDET5691700.29938951201
41Adrian GonzalezBOS6302130.338271081171
51Mark TeixeiraNYY5891460.24839901114
62Eric HosmerKC5231530.29319667811
72Ike DavisNYM129390.302720250
82Freddie FreemanATL5711610.2822167764
92Paul GoldschmidtARZ156390.250828264
102Billy ButlerKC5971740.2911974952
113Paul KonerkoCWS5431630.30031691051
123Ryan HowardPHI5571410.25333811161
133Adam LindTOR4991250.2512656871
143Kendrys MoralesANA0000000
153Justin MorneauMIN264600.227419300
164Gaby SanchezFLA5721520.2661972783
174Mitch MorelandTEX4641200.2591660512
184James LoneyLA5311530.2881256654
195Mat GamelMLW2630.1150120
205Mark TrumboANA5391370.2542965879
215Carlos PenaTB4931110.2252872802
225Brandon BeltSF187420.225921183
235Jesus GuzmanSD247770.312533449
246Carlos LeeHOU5851610.2751866944
256Adam DunnCWS415660.1591136420
266Justin SmoakSEA4271000.2341538550
276Todd HeltonCOL4211270.3021459690

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