Top 15 First Basemen for the 2026 Fantasy Baseball Season

First base is for sluggers only, especially when you are constructing your fantasy baseball lineup.

Between the sluggers who are always productive like Pete Alonso, Matt Olson, and of course the ageless Freddie Freeman, to the new additions of last year’s rookie standout Nick Kurtz, and newly converted first baseman Rafael Devers, this position is as deep as it has ever been before.

Across our ranking of the top 200 players in fantasy baseball for 2026, we nearly had 20 first baseman make the list, with a large portion of that group belonging in the top 100.

Based on those rankings, the following is a list of the top 15 first baseman in fantasy baseball for the 2026 season, with four honorable mentions who all cracked the top 200.

Honorable Mention:

Christian Walker No. 177, Willson Contreras No. 180, Jorge Polanco No. 182, Jac Caglianone No. 188

Rank	Player	Team
1	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	Toronto Blue Jays
2	Nick Kurtz	Athletics
3	Pete Alonso	Baltimore Orioles
4	Rafael Devers	San Francisco Giants
5	Bryce Harper	Philadelphia Phillies
6	Matt Olson	Atlanta Braves
7	Freddie Freeman	Los Angeles Dodgers
8	Josh Naylor	Seattle Mariners
9	Vinnie Pasquantino	Kansas City Royals
10	Michael Busch	Chicago Cubs
11	Ben Rice	New York Yankees
12	Yandy Diaz	Tampa Bay Rays
13	Salvador Perez	Kansas City Royals
14	Spencer Torkelson	Detroit Tigers
15	Jonathan Aranda	Tampa Bay Rays

1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 1B – Toronto Blue Jays

Age in 2026: 27
2025 Stats: 156 G, 680 PA, .292/.381/.467, 23 HR, 84 RBI, 96 R, 6 SB

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is a difficult player to value. His elite bat to ball skills give you a certain baseline that makes you comfortable, but the power seems to max out around 30, although it feels like it shouldn’t. With an even better lineup around him for 2026, it’s hard to ignore the run production upside. High floor, high ceiling.

2. Nick Kurtz – 1B – Athletics

Age in 2026: 23
2025 Stats: 117 G, 489 PA, .290/.383/.619, 36 HR, 86 RBI, 90 R, 2 SB

Nick Kurtz posting 36 home runs in only 117 games, as a rookie, is bonkers. The power is truly elite, but he offers more than just home runs. Kurtz showed a willingness to go the other way and not try to do too much with every single pitch.

The strikeouts will need to improve, but imagine the numbers if he can get to even a 26% K%? The type of talent that could be near the top after next season.

3. Pete Alonso – 1B – Baltimore Orioles

Age in 2026: 31
2025 Stats: 162 G, 709 PA, .272/.347/.524, 38 HR, 126 RBI, 87 R, 1 SB

Pete Alonso has gone five-straight seasons playing in at least 150 games and hitting 34 or more home runs.

The move to Baltimore should actually help his power production and after the questions about his value the past two offseasons, Alonso is out to prove something. Taking on a leadership role on a new team, Alonso could be in line for a monster season.

4. Rafael Devers – 1B – San Francisco Giants

Age in 2026: 29
2025 Stats: 163 G, 729 PA, .252/.372/.479, 35 HR, 109 RBI, 99 R, 1 SB

Rafael Devers is consistently a productive power hitter and recorded over 700 plate appearances last year despite injury concerns in spring training. He’s likely lost 3B eligibility in your league, which hurts his value slightly, but he’s still an early-round power source.

5. Bryce Harper – 1B – Philadelphia Phillies

Age in 2026: 33
2025 Stats: 132 G, 580 PA, .261/.357/.487, 27 HR, 75 RBI, 72 R, 12 SB

Last season, Bryce Harper was slightly less productive than what we have come to know in recent years. We actually see that as a reason to draft him, as his draft value might be down a hair.

While there may not be any more MVPs in his future, Harper is not a player who is at a great risk to decline, especially now that he has taken so well to first base to put less wear on his body. With a better roster around him the run production might actually help him have one of his best seasons. Keep in mind, 10 or so stolen bases out of your 1B is great for fantasy.

6. Matt Olson – 1B – Atlanta Braves

Age in 2026: 32
2025 Stats: 162 G, 724 PA, .272/.366/.484, 29 HR, 95 RBI, 98 R, 1 SB

Since crushing a whopping 54 round trippers in 2023, Matt Olson has followed up that tremendous season with back-to-back 29-homer campaigns. Olson is still piecing the ball (top 5% in avg. exit velocity last season) and walking at a stellar clip (12.6%), so there’s no reason to believe that serious regression is in the cards this year.

7. Freddie Freeman – 1B – Los Angeles Dodgers

Age in 2026: 36
2025 Stats: 147 G, 627 PA, .295/.367/.502, 24 HR, 90 RBI, 81 R, 6 SB

Freddie Freeman is starting to get up there in age, but will always deliver a high average and OBP. The power can be a bit of a concern, especially for first base, but we aren’t going to be the one’s who are too low on Freddie Freeman. The track record is far too strong and the run production opportunities are still there.

8. Josh Naylor – 1B – Seattle Mariners

Age in 2026: 29
2025 Stats: 147 G, 604 PA, .295/.353/.462, 20 HR, 92 RBI, 81 R, 30 SB

Josh Naylor can be a tricky fantasy first baseman because his power isn’t great and his home ballpark won’t do him many favors. But, he’s not going to strikeout and obviously he’s figured something out on the basepaths.

Stealing 30 bags last year was not a coincidence. A high floor player that should be attractive, especially to safe players.

9. Vinnie Pasquantino – 1B – Kansas City Royals

Age in 2026: 28
2025 Stats: 160 G, 682 PA, .264/.323/.475, 32 HR, 113 RBI, 72 R, 1 SB

Vinnie Pasquantino has been a frustrating player to have on your fantasy teams at times.

Last seasons power was the breakout we were all hoping for as he launched 32 home runs across 160 games. The contact has always been loud and a tick up in his lift help take him to another level. We hope to see more of the same in 2026.

10. Michael Busch – 1B – Chicago Cubs

Age in 2026: 28
2025 Stats: 155 G, 592 PA, .261/.343/.523, 34 HR, 90 RBI, 78 R, 4 SB

Despite being in the bottom 20% in baseball in bat speed, Michael Busch still mashed. On average, he hit the ball harder than 90% of major leaguers and was in the top 5% in barrel rate.

The low bat speed does make him a risky bet for another 30+ home run season, but it’s clear that he has a great feel for the barrel and can be a productive hitter.

11. Ben Rice – C,1B – New York Yankees

Age in 2026: 27
2025 Stats: 138 G, 530 PA, .255/.337/.499, 26 HR, 65 RBI, 74 R, 3 SB

Ben Rice having catcher and first base eligibility makes him even more interesting that his bat alone. Cutting his strikeout rate by nearly 10% and launching 26 home runs with a 133 wRC+ is strong no matter what position he plays.

They expected stats paint an even better picture for the slugger who is still growing into his game and could take a massive step forward in 2026.

12. Yandy Diaz – 1B – Tampa Bay Rays

Age in 2026: 34
2025 Stats: 150 G, 651 PA, .300/.306/.482, 25 HR, 83 RBI, 79 R, 3 SB

Yandy Diaz was a great value at around pick 200 in drafts last season. He has always hit the cover off of the baseball, but hits too many ground balls to be an elite fantasy 1B.

Last season, with a minor league home park, he was able to swat 25 homers. He’s a great source of batting average, but it’s hard to bank on more than 20 long balls barring a sudden change in approach at age 34.

13. Salvador Perez – C,1B – Kansas City Royals

Age in 2026: 36
2025 Stats: 155 G, 641 PA, .226/.284/.446, 30 HR, 100 RBI, 54 R, 0 SB

Salvador Perez is a household name for power at the catcher position. His batting average fell off a bit in 2025, but his xBA (.269) leads one to believe that he’ll be able to bounce back in that category this coming season.

At 35 years of age, “Salvy” still appears to be a slam-dunk top ten fantasy backstop.

14. Spencer Torkelson – 1B – Detroit Tigers

Age in 2026: 26
2025 Stats: 155 G, 649 PA, .240/.333/.456, 31 HR, 78 RBI, 82 R, 2 SB

Spencer Torkelson bounced back in a big way in 2025. After spending extended time in the minors in 2024, Torkelson returned in 2025 to hit 31 home runs and post a career-best 118 wRC+.

There’s some holes in his game, but a three true outcome first baseman with 30 home run pop at this point in the draft makes sense.

15. Jonathan Aranda – 1B – Tampa Bay Rays

Age in 2026: 28
2025 Stats: 106 G, 422 PA, .316/.393/.489, 14 HR, 59 RBI, 56 R, 0 SB

A first baseman with modest power and a platoon restriction is difficult to rank. This season, he’ll only have first base eligibility, which is a knock.

However, Aranda is coming off a year in which he slashed .316/.393/.489 with nearly a 10% walk rate. A gem in deep leagues but a player with enough upside to bet on in shallower leagues.

Honorable Mention:

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