Just one year ago, we were all concerned about how Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s mediocre barrel rate and high ground-ball rate coming out of 2020 might never allow him to fulfill his power potential.
Well, so much for that. Although he got an assist from the Blue Jays’ hitter-friendly park in Dunedin, Florida, Vlad punished pitches throughout 2021 en route to an MVP runner-up season. He led the American League in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, total bases and tied for the league lead with 48 homers. Now, there is no disputing that Guerrero is a first-round pick and the top fantasy option at first base entering 2022.
Brand-new Los Angeles Dodgers 1B Freddie Freeman might belong in that same tier, but I think he’s better suited as the lead in tier two, which is a deep group that contains a ton of pop. From Matt Olson to Josh Bell, the number of players with 30-homer upside really runs at least 10 deep at the top and then there are others further down who could reach that mark if health and playing time are on their side. You will probably have to make up for some batting average loss and a dearth of speed with your other picks, but first base remains a dependable source of homers and RBIs almost anywhere you look.
Here are my top-25 first baseman rankings for 2022 fantasy baseball leagues.
2022 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 25 1B
Top 25 first basemen
| Rank | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Player | Team |
| 1 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 2 | Freddie Freeman | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 3 | Matt Olson | Atlanta Braves |
| 4 | Paul Goldschmidt | St. Louis Cardinals |
| 5 | Pete Alonso | New York Mets |
| 6 | Jose Abreu | Chicago White Sox |
| 7 | Jared Walsh | Los Angeles Angels |
| 8 | Max Muncy | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 9 | C.J. Cron | Colorado Rockies |
| 10 | Josh Bell | Washington Nationals |
| 11 | Rhys Hoskins | Philadelphia Phillies |
| 12 | DJ LeMahieu | New York Yankees |
| 13 | Joey Votto | Cincinnati Reds |
| 14 | Jake Cronenworth | San Diego Padres |
| 15 | Ryan Mountcastle | Baltimore Orioles |
| 16 | Ty France | Seattle Mariners |
| 17 | Yuli Gurriel | Houston Astros |
| 18 | Trey Mancini | Baltimore Orioles |
| 19 | Anthony Rizzo | New York Yankees |
| 20 | Nathaniel Lowe | Texas Rangers |
| 21 | Luke Voit | San Diego Padres |
| 22 | Tyler Stephenson | Cincinnati Reds |
| 23 | Brandon Belt | San Francisco Giants |
| 24 | Frank Schwindel | Chicago Cubs |
| 25 | Jonathan Schoop | Detroit Tigers |