These are the top 10 first baseman heading into the 2025 season:
1. Vladimir Guerero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
Gurrero Jr. took a step back from his 2021 season posting career-highs with 48 HR, 111 RBI, .311 average, and .401 OBP. 2024 saw the 25-year-old get back on tracking slashing .323/.396/.544 with 30 HR and 103 RBI. In the early stages of his prime, Vlad Guerrero Jr. should once again reach 30+ HR and 100+ RBI.
2. Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers
Aaron Rodgers once said, “A down year for me is a career year for other players.” The same can be said for future Hall of Famer Freddie Freeman. Dealing with injuries and personal matters, the Dodgers first baseman saw his overall numbers slide slashing .282/.378/.476. His 147 games were the lowest total since 2017, and his .476 SLG dropped below .500 for the first time since 2016. At 35 years old, he’s at the twilight of his career, but his tools and work ethic can allow him to rebound.
3. Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
2022 and 2023 saw Harper deal with injuries causing down years. Harper bounced back in 2024, slashing .285/.373/.525 with 30 HR and 87 RBI. Entering 2025 with a full bill of health, for a second consecutive season, Bryce Harper should be comfortably penciled in at first base, rewarding fantasy baseball players with a 30+ HR and 85+ RBI season.
4. Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves
Olson finished the 2024 season seeing his power numbers drop, finishing with 29 home runs and 98 RBI. His .790 OPS was his lowest since 2018 after posting three straight seasons with .800+. Olson is a safe bet to hit the ground running on Open Day and the 30+ HR and 100+ RBI seasons fantasy baseball players have become accustomed to.
5. Pete Alonso, New York Mets
Entering the offseason with uncertainty regarding the team he would be playing for, Alonso re-signed with the Mets on February 5th. Staying where he’s called home since his 2019 rookie season, Alonso is poised to rebound from a down year that saw him with career-low totals in HR (34), RBI (88), SLG (.459), and OPS (.788).
6. Luis Arraez, San Diego Padres
Arraez is an anomaly for fantasy baseball. He doesn’t post the home runs, RBI, or stolen bases as his counterparts, but he is one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball. Arraez finished last season with a second consecutive season with 200+ hits and a third consecutive season with 30+ doubles and a .300+ average. Arraez’s overall numbers will help ease the pain of any power hitters that harm AVG, and he’s never accumulated more than 48 strikeouts in any season. Given his 1B & 2B eligibility, Luis Arraez is a great player to draft when others pass on his services during fantasy baseball drafts.
7. Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City Royals
Pasquantino finished his first full season in the Majors setting career-highs with 19 home runs and 97 RBI. Projections temper a massive 2025 breakout with only 22 home runs and 88 RBI, but fantasy baseball players can comfortably draft Pasquantino knowing he’s capable of 30+ home runs and 90+ RBI.
8. Christian Walker, Houston Astros
Walker has been one of the best fantasy first basemen in the last three seasons, averaging 31 HR and 93 RBI. This season will be Walker’s first with the Houston Astros, and he will undoubtedly take advantage of the Crawford Boxes in left field. His ADP currently sits in the middle of the seventh round, and Walker is a value after the top first basemen have already been drafted.
9. Josh Naylor, Arizona Diamondbacks
Naylor finished off a career year last season, hitting 31 HR while driving in 108 runs. His 31 home runs blew away his career mark of 20 set in 2022. Dealt to Arizona in the offseason, Naylor will have every opportunity to replicate his 2024 numbers at hitter-friendly Chase Field.
10. Yandy Diaz, Tampa Bay Rays
Given Diaz’s 6’2” 215lbs frame, one would expect around 20+ home runs per season. That isn’t the case, as Diaz has reached 20 home runs only once in his career. Given his healthy career .288 average, and a keen sense of the strike zone, the Rays first baseman will not harm the AVG/OBP categories. Fantasy baseball players who wait on a first baseman can confidently take Diaz and ensure solid production.