The Top 10 First Basemen in Major League Baseball for 2026
First base continues to produce some of the most exciting sluggers in baseball.
Our 2026 positional rankings are in full swing! Today, we are focusing on the top first basemen in baseball.
These rankings were certainly not easy to put together. First base is a loaded position containing some of the best pure sluggers in all of baseball.
This list has a bit of everything, from veterans to sophomores and everyone in between.
Let’s break down our top 10 list, plus six honorable mentions to go with it.
The voting group for Just Baseball’s 2026 position lists comprised editors Ryan Finkelstein, Leo Morgenstern, Eric Treuden, and Joey Peterson, as well as Just Baseball’s Aram Leighton, Peter Appel, Peyton Ginas and Jack McMullen.
Each individual ranked players 1-15, and those outside of their top 15 received a numerical value of 20. The rankings were then averaged out, with the lowest mean score being best.
Honorable Mentions
- Willson Contreras, Boston Red Sox
- Jonathan Aranda, Tampa Bay Rays
- Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City Royals
- Christian Walker, Houston Astros
- Jorge Polanco, New York Mets
- Munetaka Murakami, Chicago White Sox
Contreras was a hot commodity on the trade market this winter after he proved he could be a more than capable first baseman in 2025. The three-time All-Star is known for his abilities with the stick, but he showed that he provides solid defense at first. The Red Sox had a revolving door at the position in 2025, and the hope is that Contreras will provide stability for them in 2026.
The 422 plate appearances that Aranda took last year were more than he had in the previous three seasons combined. He broke out after finally getting the chance to play consistently, slashing .316/.393/.489 with 14 homers and exceptional batted-ball data to boot.
Pasquantino finally stayed healthy for a full season in 2025, knocking 32 bombs with a 116 wRC+. He boasts good contact skills in addition to his 30-homer pop, but he lacks the overall offensive impact necessary to be a top 10 first baseman. He was the only player to be ranked at the same spot by all eight voters: unlucky No. 13.
Walker’s first season of his three-year $60 million deal with the Astros was a major letdown. It marked the first time he posted a wRC+ below league average since 2021. This upcoming season will likely be make-or-break for the veteran.
Polanco likely saved his big-league career in 2025 with a major bounce-back season. The switch-hitter cut his strikeout rate down by a remarkable 13.6% and was rewarded with a two-year, $40 million deal from the Mets. This marks a position change for the career middle infielder entering his age-32 season.
Murakami will make his highly anticipated debut with the White Sox in 2026. Despite dominating in Japan for years, he earned only a two-year $34 million deal with Chicago. If all goes to plan, he should be a top contender for American League Rookie of the Year this season.
10. Josh Naylor, Seattle Mariners
Average Ranking: 10.125
2025 Stats: 147 G, .295/.353/.462, 20 HR, 30 SB, 92 RBI, 128 wRC+, 3.1 fWAR
The Mariners wasted no time bringing Naylor back on a five-year, $92.5 million deal shortly after free agency began. The deal was well deserved, as Naylor was key both down the stretch and in the postseason for Seattle.
The 28-year-old spent last season split between Arizona and Seattle and posted very solid numbers across the board. He set new career highs in both wRC+ and fWAR.
Despite his sprint speed ranking in just the third percentile, Naylor swiped a whopping 30 bags in 2025. He utilized perfectly timed jumps to steal bases despite his extreme lack of speed. He is the poster boy for proof that Major League Baseball’s new rules have, in fact, enticed more players to test their luck.
On top of his career-best regular season, Naylor shined in 12 postseason games for Seattle, slashing .340/.392/.574 while slugging three home runs.
9. Ben Rice, New York Yankees
Average Ranking: 9.5
2025 Stats: 138 G, .255/.337/.499, 26 HR, 65 RBI, 133 wRC+, 3.0 fWAR
Rice was a pleasant surprise for the Yankees last year following a lackluster rookie campaign. The former 12th-round pick provided substantial production atop New York’s lineup.
Rice’s batted-ball data jumped off the page, as he posted a 92nd-percentile barrel rate, 95th-percentile average exit velocity and 97th-percentile hard-hit rate. It’s easy to see where his 26 home run breakout came from.
Now an established big leaguer, Rice has the chance to turn even more heads in 2026. He is the perfect left-handed power complement to Aaron Judge.
8. Michael Busch, Chicago Cubs
Average Ranking: 8.125
2025 Stats: 155 G, .261/.343/.523, 34 HR, 90 RBI, 140 wRC+, 3.5 fWAR
Busch became a star in 2025 with the Cubs, posting ridiculous numbers across the board and eventually settling in as Chicago’s everyday leadoff hitter.
He set new career highs in just about every major statistical category en route to a 16th-place finish in National League MVP voting. Busch lived up to the top-prospect pedigree that he carried prior to being dealt to the Cubs.
Busch continued to prove his worth in October by smacking four home runs in Chicago’s eight postseason games. The 28-year-old slugger looks to be a potential cornerstone for the Cubs to build around for years to come.
7. Rafael Devers, San Francisco Giants
Average Ranking: 6.375
2025 Stats: 163 G, .252/.372/.479, 35 HR, 109 RBI, 135 wRC+, 3.3 fWAR
Devers was shockingly dealt from Boston to San Francisco last year. After months of drama over which position he would play, the Red Sox decided to ship him off to the Bay Area.
The three-time All-Star’s numbers slipped a bit with the Giants after the trade, but he still managed to put together another highly productive offensive season.
One area in which he improved drastically was his ability to get on base at an elite level. Year after year, Devers’ walk rate has steadily improved, and last season it was all the way up to the 98th percentile at 15.4%. In his 73-game sample prior to the trade, Devers’ on-base percentage sat just north of the illustrious .400 mark.
Despite a somewhat disappointing start to his Giants tenure, Devers is under contract with the team for the next eight years. He has plenty of time to turn it around and make a huge impact in San Francisco’s lineup.
6. Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
Average Ranking: 5
2025 Stats: 132 G, .261/.357/.487, 27 HR, 75 RBI, 131 wRC+, 3.5 fWAR
Last season was Harper’s worst offensive year by wRC+ since his first with Philadelphia. He also missed significant time due to injury once again, which unfortunately has become a trend as he’s gotten older.
When healthy, Harper was productive at the plate and remained the anchor of the Phillies’ lineup. However, his defense at first base took a major step back from the prior year, as both his OAA and FRV dipped 6 points compared to 2024.
The postseason heroics that fans have grown accustomed to from Harper were absent in 2025. He went just 3-for-15 in the NLDS against the Dodgers.
Harper is only 33 years old despite heading into his 15th season in the show. The decision to move him to first base full-time has not shielded him from the injury bug the way the Phillies hoped it might.
5. Pete Alonso, Baltimore Orioles
Average Ranking: 4.5
2025 Stats: 162 G, .272/.347/.524, 38 HR, 126 RBI, 141 wRC+, 3.6 fWAR
Alonso was forced to take a bargain deal to return to the Mets after a dip in performance in 2024. He parlayed that deal into a five-year, $155 million pact with Baltimore following a monstrous 2025 campaign.
The slugger was an All-Star for the fifth time in his career and posted his highest wRC+ since his rookie season in 2019. He also broke the Mets’ franchise record for home runs in August, forever etching his name in New York’s history books.
Despite his already having one of the most impressive careers this club has ever seen, the Mets allowed Alonso to walk, unwilling to offer the greatest slugger in team history a long-term deal.
The consistent power Alonso will provide to Baltimore’s lineup is badly needed, as the club lacked power hitting throughout its disappointing 2025 campaign.
4. Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves
Average Ranking: 4.375
2025 Stats: 162 G, .272/.366/.484, 29 HR, 95 RBI, 136 wRC+, 4.7 fWAR
Olson played in all 162 games for Atlanta for the fourth consecutive season in 2025. Since being traded to the Braves, the slugger has yet to miss a single game.
Olson bounced back after a down year by his standards in 2024, putting together another strong season and continuing to be one of the premier power bats in all of baseball.
For the second consecutive season, Olson smacked 29 long balls. It’s probably safe to say that he won’t ever again reach the ridiculous 54-homer mark he posted in 2023. However, Olson led the National League in doubles with 41, showing that even with fewer home runs, he remains an extra-base-hit machine.
He also took home the Gold Glove Award at season’s end for the third time in his career. If the Braves are going to bounce back after a disappointing 2025 season, Olson will have to be key on both sides of the ball.
3. Nick Kurtz, Athletics
Average Ranking: 4.25
2025 Stats: 117 G, .290/.383/.619, 36 HR, 86 RBI, 170 wRC+, 4.6 fWAR
Kurtz comes off one of the most impressive offensive rookie seasons we’ve ever seen. He finished 12th in American League MVP balloting despite not debuting until April 23, nearly a month after the season had begun.
Kurtz would have joined Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge as just one of three qualified players with an OPS north of 1.000 in 2025 if he had enough plate appearances. He also showed just how well-rounded a hitter he is, batting .290 and walking 12.9% of the time to go along with his 36 homers.
Four of those 36 home runs came in one game against the Astros, as Kurtz became the youngest player in baseball history with four long balls in a single game.
The Athletics wasted no time in calling up the fourth overall pick from 2024, and now he looks to be a franchise cornerstone – a player who can be the face of the club as they try to endear themselves to a new crop of fans in Las Vegas.
2. Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers
Average Ranking: 2.25
2025 Stats: 147 G, .295/.367/.502, 24 HR, 90 RBI, 139 wRC+, 3.8 fWAR
Freeman continues to age like a fine wine, posting productive seasons well into his mid-thirties. While he has never had the same sheer power as some of the other names on this list, he more than makes up for it with his all-around abilities.
The nine-time All-Star hasn’t batted under .280 in a season since 2012 and has reached at least 20 homers in every full season over the last decade.
He belted another clutch home run in the World Series for the second time in as many years in 2025. He launched a walk-off shot in the bottom of the 18th inning to secure a critical Game 3 win for the Dodgers.
Freeman being ranked this high on such a loaded list at his age is a testament to how he has fought off Father Time to round out a Hall of Fame career.
1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
Average Ranking: 1.25
2025 Stats: 156 G, .292/.381/.467, 23 HR, 84 RBI, 137 wRC+, 3.9 fWAR
Guerrero takes the top spot in this year’s rankings following a great regular season, followed up by an historic postseason performance.
His regular season numbers dropped across the board compared to what they were in a torrid 2024 campaign. That said, his 137 wRC+ still ranked fourth in the American League.
In 18 postseason games, Guerrero slashed .397/.494/.795 with eight home runs. He is tied for second all-time in homers in a single postseason with that mark and took home ALCS MVP honors for his performance against Seattle.
While Toronto came within inches of winning the World Series, Guerrero fully established himself as a superstar who gets it done on the biggest stage. For that, he is our top first baseman heading into 2026.
Written by
Joe Browne is an aspiring sports journalist and is currently a freshman at St. John's University. Joe is a lifelong Mets fan who is also passionate…