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Draft Guide: The Best First Basemen

By Tyler Whitty - Guest Writer
07/27/2007

Albert Pujols

Here are the top first basemen in baseball ranked by their 2006 Strat Card:

  1. Albert Pujols...simply one of the best in the game. You have to ask your self...Pujols or A-Rod, who is the best

  2. Ryan Howard...Great young hitter, MVP year last season but struggled out of the gates in '07, but to no one’s surprise is now swinging a hot bat once again

  3. David Ortiz...The Twins must be kicking themselves for letting Papi walk. You’re pretty much guaranteed a .1000 OPS every year with this slugger

  4. Justin Morneau...The A.L. M.V.P of last year hits for good average and good power. It’s a given if he stays healthy he will compete for more MVP awards

  5. Travis Hafner...The DH/1B for the Indians had another great year last year but has struggled this year so far. He should rebound fine but did just get a huge paycheck...

  6. Lance Berkman...Berkman posted another .1000+ OPS season last year. And in his 8 year career he has only had once season in which he didn’t post a .900+ OPS. That year would be his rookie year

  7. Nick Johnson...The big lefty has great contact and bats for average. Still hasn’t played in '07 so his card will be worse for '08, but has a great card for Strat right now

  8. Paul Konerko...Konerko is on pace for what would be his 4th straight 30+ HR season this year, even with his very slow start

  9. Jim Thome...Thome had his rebound year last season with the Sox. Had very good numbers, but is also limited since his defense is suspect

  10. Carlos Delgado...Everywhere he goes he hits. On pace for his 12th straight 25+ HR season. Even though he has looked painful at times at the dish this season, he could be a solid play for next season

  11. Jason Giambi...Another consistent season for the big, hard hitting lefty.  As usual he posted another 35+ HR season

  12. Frank Thomas...The Big Hurt was reborn last season out in Oakland but has struggled this season north of the border. He still is a good bet to heat up down the stretch

  13. Adam Laroche...The big lefty broke out last season with 32 HR but hasn’t looked comfortable in Pittsburgh yet, but bet on him to get things going this year

  14. Todd Helton...Helton combined his usual average + walks + power last year, though his power numbers are declining overall

  15. Mark Teixiera...The big switch hitting 1B for the Rangers combined great defense with strong hitting across the board last year.  He has never had a bad season but might be affected if he is traded away from the hitter friendly park in Arlington

  16. Adrian Gonzalez...Gonzo was taking his game to the next level at the end of last season and I expected a breakout season in '07. Although his power numbers and RBI numbers are nice so far, he is only batting .261 to date

  17. Lyle Overbay...Lyle has a nice fluid swing and racks in the doubles. Not a real HR threat but gets a lot of extra base hits and can field his position

  18. Richie Sexson...Richie looks terrible this year, but still posted solid power numbers for his 2006 card.  Most would jump quickly and blame his struggles on the strikeout, but he isn’t striking out as much as he was in the past

  19. Prince Fielder...Prince has a deadly uppercut swing, and is a future 50 HR guy.  His 2006 card is “only” solid for a first baseman, not great

  20. Kevin Youkilis...One of the most underrated players in the game today, his 2006 card was decent; nice to have flexibility to play 3B, but it’s not enough to offset the low power he showed last season

Ranked by overall value:

1.Albert Pujols

2.Ryan Howard

3.Justin Morneau

4.David Ortiz

5.Prince Fielder

6.Derek Lee

7.Mark Teixiera

8.Carlos Pena

9.Lance Berkman

10.Travis Hafner

11.Todd Helton

12.Paul Konerko

13.Jim Thome

14.Kevin Youkilis

15.Dmitri Young

16.Ryan Garko

17.Adrian Gonzalez

18.Casey Kotchman

19.Frank Thomas

20.Adam Laroche

Honorable Mention:

 

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