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Fantasy baseball rankings 2022: Top 25 first basemen

We go over the top first basemen in fantasy baseball for the 2022 MLB season.

Should Vlad Jr. be the favorite to lead Baseball in RBI’s?

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