2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Jul 28, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) hits a home run in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports /

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings – 1B/DH Overview

To immediately go from catchers to first basemen is like going from sub-zero weather to Caribbean island weather. It’s ridiculous the difference in the two positions. First base is where you want to get not only your starter early, but probably also grab your utility player/corner player/whatever extra bat you may have in your league’s lineup. Even designated hitter only guys are fairly deep with talent this season. I would be impressed to see the top 6 last beyond the first two rounds of a 10+ team draft. After that, it’s a matter of taste, but there are plenty of good bats not even listed here, something we’ll address in a bit.

Your top 5 guys are elite, and you can order them however you’d like, but those are definitely the top guys. I know it sounds like blasphemy, but I’ve considered selecting Goldschmidt over Mike Trout this season with the top pick overall in fantasy drafts. Beyond the top 5, you have Votto, who was finally healthy and showed what he can do when healthy, Freeman, who was hurt most of the season and didn’t produce like he’s capable of, and Davis got back onto his prescribed ADHD meds and mashed the ball again after a disastrous 2014. Hosmer is a guy to watch after he jumped to a high ranking based on his high runs/runs batted in totals. He only had 18 home runs and 7 steals to go with a solid, but not .300+ average. Don’t buy in too heavy.

The DH-only guys are quite aged, but each has shown recent power. Sano is absolutely the biggest upside guy on the list, though I do worry quite a bit with him possibly moving into the outfield with trying to change positions and maintaining his focus at the plate. The good news is that he should develop eligibility at the outfield soon in the 2016 season. Each of that group has some significant power upside, but they do require an open utility or “hitter” position in your fantasy lineup to be able to contribute.

So, the first base is so position that I would like to highlight a few guys that aren’t on this list and that I’m keeping an eye on this season. Byung-Ho Park in Minnesota will be very interesting as he transitions to the American game from Korea, which is why Sano is working out in the outfield. Ryan Zimmerman produced at the level of a 30-homer, 110 RBI guy when he was healthy in 2015, but he only was healthy for 95 games, and he hasn’t played 150 games since 2009. I’m also keeping an eye on the Yankee first base situation with Mark Teixeira and Greg Bird. One of them will certainly be an asset for fantasy owners, but likely not both. Lastly, I’m curious to see two sluggers in new locations – Mark Trumbo in Baltimore and Chris Carter in Milwaukee.

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings – 1B/DH Rankings

More from Tomahawk Take

In my rankings this year, I’ll post first my rank, then the player’s name and team, followed by the PR rank for the position in 2015, and lastly, any other positions the player will be eligible at in 2016, based on 20-game eligibility.

First Basemen

1. Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks, 1
2. Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs, 3
3. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers, 10
4. Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto Blue Jays, 5
5. Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox, 7
6. Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds, 2
7. Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves, 18
8. Adrian Gonzalez, Los Angeles Dodgers, 11
9. Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles, 4, OF
10. Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals, 6
11. Albert Pujols, Los Angeles Angels, 9
12. Brandon Belt, San Francisco Giants, 12
13. Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians, 19
14. Lucas Duda, New York Mets, 21
15. Mitch Moreland, Texas Rangers, 15

Designated Hitters

1. Prince Fielder, Texas Rangers, 1
2. Miguel Sano, Minnesota Twins, 6
3. David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox, 2
4. Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees, 4
5. Victor Martinez, Detroit Tigers, 9
6. Evan Gattis, Houston Astros, 5
7. Kendrys Morales, Kansas City Royals, 3

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Braves First Base Highlight

Freeman was hurt last year, so he didn’t have the full-season statistics to rank high on the list, but what’s interesting is that he actually matched his home run total from 2014, when he played all 162 games. That was with one of the worst lineups in baseball around him as well, so if anyone wants to sway you away from Mr. Huggs by down playing the Braves lineup, you can toss out his 2015 stats in a near historically bad Atlanta lineup. I think expecting a .280 average, 20-25 home runs, and 175-200 combined runs/RBI is certainly expected, and that would have made him the sixth-ranked first baseman in the league in 2015. If you want to have Freddie on your squad in the 3rd/4th round of a draft, you can feel confident drafting him.

Tomahawk Take Fantasy League Announcement

Last season, the Tomahawk Take staff put together two leagues each on Yahoo and ESPN. We had a lot of fun in those leagues, and there was great participation from writers and readers alike. We’ve decided to do the same thing this year. However, we’re going to have things set up a little more ahead of time.

This season, we will have two leagues on each site again, the size of each depending on the interest in each, however, the maximum for each league will be 14, so first come, first serve until the league fills up. We will have one rotisserie league and one head-to-head league on each site. I made a mistake in setting up one league last season, and that won’t happen this year – each league will have daily add/drop moves available. If you are interested in any of the leagues, please email me at gopherben@gmail.com and indicate in your email whether you would prefer ESPN or Yahoo and whether you would prefer roto or H2H. Thanks!

Next: Braves Top 100 Prospects Updated With Offseason Additions

That’s your break down of the first basemen and designated hitters for 2016. Like it, love it, hate it? Comment below, and let’s talk about what you think for 2016!

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