Below you’ll find the top-12 first basemen for 2025 fantasy baseball drafts, as compiled by the Rotoworld Baseball crew and FSWA Hall of Famer Matthew Pouliot.
In addition to write-ups for all players, you’ll find 2025 projected stats and dollar values (both for mixed leagues, league-only formats, and 2026/2027) for fantasy managers participating in salary cap draft formats.
Other position previews:
2025 shortstops preview
Look for more position previews in the days to come leading into fantasy baseball drafts!
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2025 Fantasy Baseball First Base (1B) Rankings
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
- Freddie Freeman
- Matt Olson
- Bryce Harper
- Pete Alonso
- Christian Walker
- Josh Naylor
- Cody Bellinger
- Salvador Perez
- Triston Casas
- Spencer Steer
- Michael Toglia
2025 Fantasy Baseball First Base (1B) Profiles
| 1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. |
TOR – 1B |
| Bats: R |
Age: 25 |
Mixed 5×5: $36, AL 5×5: $35 |
| 2024: 1B:121 3B:12 |
Mixed 2026: $37, 2027: $37 |
| Outlook: After struggling through his worst full season as a pro in 2023, Vlad Jr. rebounded with authority in 2024. He adopted a more patient approach, cutting his overall swing rate and chasing less outside of the zone, which led to a career-low swinging strike rate and his second-highest barrel rate ever. His pull rate and fly ball rate both dropped, which is fine because he hits the ball hard enough to smash line drives out of the park. Focusing on lifting the ball only hurt his batting average in 2023. This new approach cements Vlad Jr. as the top first baseman in fantasy, even though he won’t give you anything in the speed department. The only black cloud over his head is his looming contract situation with the Blue Jays and the potential for a midseason trade, which could have an impact on his on-field performance but not enough that we would penalize him in fantasy drafts. |
| 2. Freddie Freeman |
LA – 1B |
| Bats: L |
Age: 35 |
Mixed 5×5: $26, NL 5×5: $26 |
| 2024: 1B:147 |
Mixed 2026: $24, 2027: $21 |
| Outlook: It was business as usual for Freeman in the first half as he hit .291 with 14 homers and five steals through the All-Star break. He then missed two weeks following the break during what must have been a terrifying experience as his son battled a rare neurological disorder. Upon his return, the 35-year-old first baseman hit .266 with eight homers and four steals the rest of the way before winning World Series MVP honors. You can’t rule out a bit of a downturn at this stage of his career, but it’s easy to explain the dip in second-half production. We can project some bounceback to an elite batting average, loads of counting stats, and mid-20s home runs while chipping in some steals. Freeman is still firmly among the top three at the first base position and a relatively safe pick in the top two rounds. |
| 3. Matt Olson |
ATL – 1B |
| Bats: L |
Age: 30 |
Mixed 5×5: $23, NL 5×5: $23 |
| 2024: 1B:162 |
Mixed 2026: $21, 2027: $18 |
| Outlook: Olson never quite got right last season. He’s spoken openly about adjustments he’s tried to make with his swing over the last few years in an attempt to cover his hole at the top of the zone. Well, last season he was unable to cover that hole and wound up doing less damage on pitches low in the zone, which has traditionally been his bread and butter. It was a worthwhile reminder that Olson is more likely the very solid player he was through the first part of his career than the 50-home run, MVP candidate he was in 2023. Regardless, he’s still an incredibly safe bet to return top-five value at first base hitting in the middle of the Braves’ potent lineup. |
| 4. Bryce Harper |
PHI – 1B |
| Bats: L |
Age: 32 |
Mixed 5×5: $22, NL 5×5: $20 |
| 2024: 1B:141 |
Mixed 2026: $20, 2027: $18 |
| Outlook: Finally over his UCL tear and ensuing Tommy John surgery, Harper is coming off his first “vintage-Harper season” in a few years. He hit 30 home runs for the first time since 2021 and seems primed to once again be the offensive stalwart we’ve come to expect. Although, it should be noted that his chase rate has ballooned over the last few years. At the same time, his quality of contact has begun to drop a tad from the otherworldly level it has been for his entire career. He’s been so consistent to this point that it’s easy to forget Harper is already 32 years old and those are things that can happen when a player leaves their prime and deals with a serious injury. He remains a strong first base option while it’s important to acknowledge he could be entering a new stage of his career at some point soon. |
| 5. Pete Alonso |
NYM – 1B |
| Bats: R |
Age: 30 |
Mixed 5×5: $21, NL 5×5: $21 |
| 2024: 1B:161 |
Mixed 2026: $21, 2027: $18 |
| Outlook: After a negotiation that was more difficult than that of Juan Soto – per Steve Cohen – Alonso is back where he belongs at first base for the Mets. One reason it was so difficult for the two sides to strike a deal is because Alonso’s profile has more holes than it did a few years ago. His strikeout rate has risen for three straight seasons after falling in each of his first four. More worrisome, he did less damage on pitches in the heart of the zone and seemed to be squeezing the bat a little too tightly all year with his free agency looming. He’s become more selective, which could be a good thing, while also not doing the same high degree of damage he did as a young player. This is the kind of nitpicking one does when hammering out a long contract though, not when spending a mid-round pick in a draft. He’s never had fewer than 34 home runs in a full season and it felt like a lot had to go wrong for him to wind up there last season. Hopefully he’s refreshed, recharged, and ready to go about his second-consecutive contract year with a vengeance. It doesn’t hurt that he may be hitting directly behind Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto. Few players in the league will have more RBI opportunities than Alonso. |
| 6. Christian Walker |
HOU – 1B |
| Bats: R |
Age: 33 |
Mixed 5×5: $9, AL 5×5: $16 |
| 2024: 1B:129 |
Mixed 2026: $8, 2027: $6 |
| Outlook: Walker was well on his way to his third straight 30-homer campaign in 2024 before an oblique injury sidelined him from July 29 to September 2, costing him over a month of the season. The 33-year-old slugger finished with 26 homers and 84 RBI while slashing .251/.335/.468 across 552 plate appearances. While his strikeout rate was slightly elevated from the previous two seasons, he exchanged some contact for power, with a 48 percent hard-hit rate and 13.3 percent barrel rate. After eight seasons in Arizona, Walker departs for Houston after signing a three-year, $60 million contract with the Astros. He goes from a slightly below-average park for right-handed power to an above-average park for righties with the Crawford Boxes in left field. That should help Walker maintain his home run production as he enters his age-34 season. Expect more of the same in 2025 from one of the premiere power-hitting first basemen. |
| 7. Josh Naylor |
ARI – 1B |
| Bats: L |
Age: 27 |
Mixed 5×5: $9, NL 5×5: $14 |
| 2024: 1B:137 |
Mixed 2026: $8, 2027: $7 |
| Outlook: Naylor took the next step toward fantasy stardom in 2024 by slugging a career-high 31 homers and cracking the 100-RBI plateau for the first time. He has also swiped six or more bases in each of the past three seasons and is really starting to look like an underrated asset in the speed department. The move to the Diamondbacks should bode well for his production, as he’ll have a stronger supporting cast and will play in a better home park for left-handed power. You’ll have to pay a premium to get him, as Naylor is currently going inside the top 100 picks overall, but there’s still plenty of room for profit from that spot. |
| 8. Cody Bellinger |
NYY – 1B/OF |
| Bats: L |
Age: 29 |
Mixed 5×5: $8, AL 5×5: $15 |
| 2024: RF:49 CF:48 1B:22 |
Mixed 2026: $6, 2027: $3 |
| Outlook: The Yankees acquired Bellinger from the Cubs this winter and there may not be a better home park suited to his current skill set than Yankee Stadium. Bellinger has sacrificed power for contact over the last few seasons with shrinking home run and strikeout totals, but still pulls his fly balls at a high rate. Yankee Stadium’s short porch in right field will reward that high volume of pulled fly balls and could help him get back to the 30-homer plateau for the first time since 2019. Otherwise, he’s very likely to chip in a solid batting average, double-digit stolen bases, and could even be a contender to hit leadoff in a strong Yankees’ lineup. |
| 9. Salvador Perez |
KC – C/1B |
| Bats: R |
Age: 34 |
Mixed 5×5: $6, AL 5×5: $16 |
| 2024: C:91 1B:49 |
Mixed 2026: $4. 2027: $2 |
| Outlook: Eventually, one of these years, Perez is going to break down and not deliver elite power production from behind the plate. He showed absolutely no signs of it during his age-34 season though, cutting his strikeout rate to his best mark since 2017 (19.8 percent) and posting by far the best walk rate of his career (6.7 percent). He’s an absolute unicorn and should continue to play more than most fantasy catchers (thanks to getting time at first base) while walloping 25 or more homers and driving in a bushel of runs. It’s a steep draft price to pay for a catcher, sure, but Perez is as consistent as they come and as likely as anyone to return a profit from that spot. |
| 10. Triston Casas |
BOS – 1B |
| Bats: L |
Age: 25 |
Mixed 5×5: $6, AL 5×5: $15 |
| 2024: 1B:61 |
Mixed 2026: $8, 2027: $8 |
| Outlook: Casas hit six home runs with a .857 OPS in his first 22 games of 2024 but then tore cartilage in his rib cage on a swing at the end of April and wound up missing more than two months. He was still playing through pain when he returned which hampered his results, but he did hit five home runs with a .925 OPS in the final 15 games of the season, which indicates he was rounding back into form. It’s hard to take much from his abbreviated season, but Casas still has an elite eye at the plate with 97th percentile exit velocity on fly balls and line drives. He may settle in around a .250 hitter, but the power is legitimate enough to put up a 30-plus home runs season if he can remain healthy in 2025. That makes him a good target if you miss out on the top first basemen. |
| 11. Spencer Steer |
CIN – OF/1B |
| Bats: R |
Age: 27 |
Mixed 5×5: $6, NL 5×5: $13 |
| 2024: LF:102 1B:63 |
Mixed 2026: $4, 2027: $1 |
| Outlook: Steer continues to be one of the more underrated players in fantasy baseball. Even with a poor batting average in 2024, he was a strong fantasy option with solid power and speed numbers and a spot in the middle of a good lineup. Steer is patient at the plate, swinging less than the average hitter but also chasing less outside of the zone which helps him to make contact at an above-average rate. While Steer doesn’t post elite exit velocities, he pulls the ball enough on a line and in the air to take advantage of his hitter-friendly home ballpark. He should settle in as a .240-.250 hitter who can hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in a good lineup. Given his positional versatility, that makes him a solid pick in all formats. |
| 12. Michael Toglia |
COL – 1B |
| Bats: B |
Age: 26 |
Mixed 5×5: $6, NL 5×5: $12 |
| 2024: 1B:107 RF:15 |
Mixed 2026: $3, 2027: $0 |
| Outlook: A former top-100 prospect, Toglia got a chance to play more in 2024 and produced decent power numbers and an impressive 17 percent barrel rate. After a poor start to the year, Toglia was demoted to Triple-A. When he returned in June, he hit .233/.331/.469 with 21 home runs and 10 steals in 409 plate appearances. While that did come with a 13 percent walk rate, he also had a 31.1 percent strikeout rate and a 15.7 percent swinging strike rate. His contact rates are poor across the board, and his aggressive approach will always make him a bit of a batting average liability, but he hits the ball hard and has good speed for the position. He started to increase his flyball rate, but he likely needs to pull the ball more if he’s going to reach his full power upside. For now, Toglia is a fine source of power with some chip-in speed as a corner-infielder target in fantasy. |
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