Welcome again for an additional week of High Dynasty Keepers for 2025.
We’ve taken care of the pitchers and the catchers, so this week my consideration turns to the infield and first baseman particularly. General, it is a fairly stable place, aided partially by a bunch of gamers who additionally play one other place.
In a 12-team or 15-team league, it’s best to be capable of discover a robust beginning first baseman in your workforce. There are additionally stable gamers ranked in Tier 3 and there are fairly just a few gamers ranked in Tier 4 who’ve actually good upside if you may get previous their rising pains
With that mentioned, let’s get on with the rankings.
Simply Lacking the Minimize
The gamers under might have had a stable slash line, however they fell wanting producing common energy numbers or had respectable energy however had horrible slash strains.
I had excessive hopes for LaMonte Wade however he merely has not lived as much as expectations. He slashed .262/.383/.386 this season, however in 114 video games he hit solely eight homers with 33 RBI, means under his 17 homer, 45 RBI output of 2023. At 31 subsequent season, Wade is nothing greater than a depth participant at this level.
Jonah Bride’s slash line of .267/.347/.434 is above common in comparison with the common first baseman, however he had solely 9 homers and 33 RBI. That simply isn’t nice manufacturing from a backup first baseman.
Juan Yepez had a lot of individuals excited after 2022 when he hit 12 homers and drove in 30 in 76 video games with the Cardinals. However he fell off the cliff in 2023, showing in solely 28 video games and slashing .183/.246/.300. However he rebounded considerably this 12 months with a .283/.335/.429 slash line in 62 video games with the Nationals. However that got here with solely six homers and 26 RBI. He will likely be solely 27 subsequent 12 months, so he may very well be somebody to keep watch over if the facility manufacturing returns.
Jhonkensy Noel is listed right here although he doesn’t qualify as a primary baseman in most leagues, beginning solely 4 video games at first base and showing in 9 video games on the place total. But when your league does permits him to be a primary baseman or you might be betting that he’ll get sufficient appearances at first in 2025, then transfer Noel up within the rankings to not less than Tier 3 as he has nice energy. He had a 6.6% residence run fee with Cleveland, resulting in 13 dingers in 67 video games. His slash line of .218/.288/.486 isn’t nice outdoors of the SLG, however a 162-game common of 31 homers is nothing to gloss over.
Victor Caratini is right here as a result of he began eight video games and appeared in 11 total at first for the Astros, probably qualifying him at first base in your league. Until the Astros signal a primary baseman in the course of the offseason, Caratini will probably get much more time at first base in addition to catcher. He doesn’t have a fantastic energy, however he has a .265/.332/.397 slash line over the past two seasons with 15 homers and 55 RBI in 149 video games.
High Prospects
- Deyvison De Los Santos, Mia
- Jac Caglianone, KC
- Xavier Isaac, TB
- Bryce Eldridge, SF
- Nick Kurtz, Oak
- Ralphy Velazquez, Cle
In case you are seeking to dip into the minor leagues to fill your first base place or backup spot, these are the highest prospects I like. De Los Santos is the closest to the majors whereas Jac Caglianone is a dynamic two-way participant within the Royals system who may very well be within the majors before later after being drafted sixth total this previous summer season. Kansas Metropolis didn’t have Caglianone pitch after drafting him, however the e book isn’t closed on him being a pitcher.
TIER 5
*Age as of April 1, 2025
| RANK | PLAYER | 2024 TEAM | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | Rowdy Tellez | PIT | 30 |
| 49 | Jeimer Candelario | CIN | 31 |
| 48 | Justin Turner | SEA | 40 |
| 47 | Pavin Smith | ARI | 29 |
| 46 | David Fry | CLE | 29 |
| 45 | Ty France | CIN | 30 |
| 44 | Tyler Soderstrom | OAK | 23 |
| 43 | Seth Brown | OAK | 32 |
| 42 | Spencer Horwitz | TOR | 27 |
| 41 | Ryan O’Hearn | BAL | 31 |
Depth Gamers
In case you are beginning Rowdy Tellez, Jeimer Candelario or Justin Turner at first base, I’m sorry. These three gamers needs to be in your workforce for depth functions solely. Tellez is coming off a 13-homer season whereas Candelario hit 20 in 112 video games, however he had a .225/.279/.429 slash line. Turner goes to be 40 subsequent 12 months and is coming off a really so-so season.
Which Fry is the Actual Deal?
David Fry, who also can play catcher and left area, is a good participant in relation to versatility. Multi-positional gamers are all the time a plus. He’s additionally coming off a 14 homer, 51 RBI season in 122 video games with a .263/.448/.804 slash line.
However most of that manufacturing got here within the first two months of the season when slashed .352/.485/.629 with eight residence runs and 27 RBI in 40 video games. His manufacturing fell to .246/.307/.362 with no homers and 5 RBI in June and from July by way of the tip of the season he slashed .211/.279/.367 with six residence runs and 19 RBI in 60 video games. These numbers match the 57-game run he had in 2023 when he hit 4 homers and drove in 15 whereas slashing .238/.319/.416.
I’m considering Fry is the participant we noticed within the second half of this season and never the primary two months.
Strong Bench Participant
Spencer Horwitz is a stable bench participant because of the truth that he can play each first and second base. In solely 94 video games he hit 12 homers and drove in 38 whereas slashing .268/.359/.442. That may be a stable line, and Horwitz is probably going in line for extra at-bats subsequent season. If he matches the identical manufacturing over 125 video games, he’s a Tier 4 participant for positive.
TIER 4
| RANK | PLAYER | 2024 TEAM | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | Carlos Santana | MIN | 38 |
| 39 | Yandy Diaz | TB | 33 |
| 38 | Paul Goldschmidt | STL | 37 |
| 37 | Josh Bell | ARI | 33 |
| 36 | Connor Wong | BOS | 28 |
| 35 | Zach Dezenzo | HOU | 24 |
| 34 | Jonathan Aranda | TB | 26 |
| 33 | Kyle Manzardo | CLE | 24 |
| 32 | Ben Rice | NYY | 26 |
| 31 | Jose Miranda | MIN | 26 |
The Previous
Carlos Santana, Yandy Diaz, Paul Goldschmidt and Josh Bell are all on the downhill aspect of their careers. However that doesn’t imply they don’t seem to be serviceable. Santana continues to hit as he had 22 homers and 68 RBI this 12 months for the Twins with a .234/.323/.414 slash line (the OBP and SLG are above the 1B common of .319 and .407). Diaz slashed .282/.342/.417 however had solely 14 homers. I like a bit of extra energy within the first basemen and Xavier Isaac could also be taking his job sooner relatively than later.
Goldschmidt didn’t have a very good season by his requirements, slashing .241/.299/.406 with 22 homers and 62 RBI in 154 video games. These numbers are means under his profession common of .289/.381/.510 and 162-game common of 30 homers and 100 RBI. It’s probably the beginning of a continued downward development, however I’m not 100% bought on that but.
Bell was principally your common first baseman this 12 months as he hit 19 homers and drove in 71 runs whereas slashing .250/.320/.406. He had a pleasant stint with the Diamondbacks, however who is aware of the place he will likely be subsequent season and precisely his position will likely be. He’ll probably land a beginning job someplace after which get traded on the deadline identical to in 2022, 2023 and once more this 12 months.
The Younger
Connor Wong is right here as a result of he qualifies as a primary baseman and thus has versatility. However he shouldn’t be your beginning first baseman as he doesn’t measure up in opposition to different first basemen in relation to the facility numbers. Zach Dezenzo had a fantastic season within the minors for the Astros however struggled on the main league degree. If the Astros re-sign Alex Bregman and depart first base to inner candidates, Dezenzo has an opportunity to get plenty of at-bats there subsequent season. However that’s removed from sure and he’s at greatest a backup possibility proper now.
Kyle Manzardo barely could be referred to as first basemen and should not really qualify there in your league as he began solely two video games at first and appeared in six video games complete out of the 53 video games he performed on this 12 months. Manzardo slashed .234/.282/.421, however he did hit 5 homers in his 145 at-bats and hit 20 in 292 at-bats at Triple-A Columbus and has a profession SLG of .544 within the minors.
TIER 3
| RANK | PLAYER | 2024 TEAM | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Tyler Locklear | SEA | 24 |
| 29 | Ryan Mountcastle | BAL | 28 |
| 28 | Tyler Black | MIL | 24 |
| 27 | Luis Arraez | SD | 27 |
| 26 | Jake Cronenworth | SD | 31 |
| 25 | Rhys Hoskins | MIL | 32 |
| 24 | Nathaniel Lowe | TEX | 29 |
| 23 | Nolan Schanuel | LAA | 23 |
| 22 | Andrew Vaughn | CWS | 26 |
| 21 | Spencer Torkelson | DET | 25 |
Unproven Upside
Tyler Locklear, like Manzardo in Tier 4, has a robust upside. Locklear has large uncooked energy whereas additionally having the ability to hit to all fields. Between Double-A and Triple-A he slashed .272/.382/.468 with 16 homers and 67 RBI in 111 video games. He struggled with the Mariners, however he ought to get an extended have a look at first base subsequent season.
Relying in your league guidelines, Tyler Black might not really qualify at first base as he began six video games at first base out of the 14 video games he appeared. His introduction to the majors didn’t go effectively as he slashed .204/.316/.245. Nevertheless, he entered the 2024 season as a prime 100 prospect in Baseball America, MLB and Baseball Prospectus because of a minor league profession through which he slashed .272/.402/.453 with 37 residence runs and 183 RBI in 315 video games.
Not Able to Give Up on…
…Spencer Torkelson. The Detroit first baseman (and each Tigers fan) is able to overlook about his 2024 season. Merely put, it was horrible as he was demoted to the minors halfway by way of the season. General, he slashed .218/.287/.376 with solely 10 residence runs and 36 RBI in 89 video games with 103 strikeouts. Torkelson goes to strike out as he has a 25.5% profession fee. However is 2024 the actual Torkelson? Or can he method the 2023 model through which he hit 31 homers and drove in 94 runs and had a .446 SLG?
I can’t surrender on Torkelson simply but. If something, he’s most likely a fantastic purchase low participant proper now as there are most likely a bunch of dynasty league gamers seeking to unload him.
TIER 2
| RANK | PLAYER | 2024 TEAM | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Cody Bellinger | CHC | 29 |
| 19 | Michael Toglia | COL | 26 |
| 18 | Luke Raley | SEA | 30 |
| 17 | Alex Bohm | PHI | 28 |
| 16 | Yainer Diaz | HOU | 26 |
| 15 | Alec Burleson | STL | 26 |
| 14 | Christian Walker | ARI | 34 |
| 13 | Christian Encarnacion-Strand | CIN | 25 |
| 12 | Jake Burger | MIA | 28 |
| 11 | Michael Busch | CHC | 27 |
First Base as a Aspect Job
What do Cody Bellinger, Michael Toglia, Luke Raley, Alex Bohm, Yainer Diaz and Alec Burleson all have in frequent? All six gamers are NOT fulltime first baseman. Bellinger, Toglia, Raley and Burleson all noticed time within the outfield in 2024 along with first base whereas Diaz is a catcher who noticed motion at first whereas Bohm is a 3rd baseman more often than not.
However all of those gamers qualify at first base, with Toglia seeing probably the most motion there with greater than 100 video games began on the place. After showing in 31 video games for the Rockies in 2022 after which 45 in 2023, Toglia performed in 116 video games and delivered 25 homers and 55 RBI. His 5.5% residence fee was good, however not his 33% profession strikeout fee. However because of his energy potential, I’ll overlook the strikeouts.
Burleson had a very nice season for the Cardinals, slashing .269/.314/.420 with 21 homers and 78 RBI in 152 video games. He noticed most of his taking part in time in left and proper area this previous season, however with Goldschmidt probably not returning to St. Louis, Burleson will proceed to get loads of time at first base. Burleson has elevated his residence run fee from 1.9% in 2022 to three.5% this 12 months and makes contact as he has a 13.1% profession strikeout fee. He’s not spectacular, however he gained’t kill you if you need to begin him at first.
An Damage-Plagued Season
If you have a look at the stats Christian Encarnacion-Strand produced this 12 months, they have been fairly ugly – .190/.220/.293 slash line with two homers and 16 RBI. However Encarnacion-Strand was restricted to solely 29 video games because of a fractured proper hand. Fantasy gamers had excessive hopes for him getting into the season after he his 13 homers and drove in 37 runs in 63 video games in 2023 whereas slashing .270/.328/.477.
I totally count on Encarnacion-Strand to return to his 2023 type and be a giant bat for the Reds in 2025 and past.
Dwelling As much as Expectations
Michael Busch was a prime 100 prospect rankings for a number of seasons earlier than lastly given an opportunity to play day by day this previous season with the Cubs. Drafted by the Dodgers with the thirty first total choose in 2019, the Cubs acquired Busch in January of this 12 months and watched him hit 21 residence runs and drive in 65 runs in 152 video games whereas slashing .248/.335/.440.
Busch did battle within the second half of the season, slashing .216/.303/.402 in comparison with .271/.357/.466 earlier than the All-Star break, however he hit 11 of his 21 homers from July by way of the tip of the 12 months with 35 RBI in 73 video games, so the facility manufacturing remained regular. There isn’t any motive to count on the facility to go away and I count on the slash line will enhance in 2025.
TIER 1
| RANK | PLAYER | 2024 TEAM | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Salvador Perez | KC | 34 |
| 9 | Spencer Steer | CIN | 27 |
| 8 | Vinnie Pasquantino | KC | 27 |
| 7 | Triston Casas | BOS | 25 |
| 6 | Josh Naylor | CLE | 27 |
| 5 | Matt Olson | ATL | 31 |
| 4 | Pete Alonso | NYM | 30 |
| 3 | Freddie Freeman | LAD | 35 |
| 2 | Bryce Harper | PHI | 32 |
| 1 | Vladimir Guerrero | TOR | 26 |
Salvador Perez, Once more
That is what I mentioned about Salvador Perez within the catcher rankings, and it applies right here…I’m not going to punish Salvador Perez for being previous. Regardless of the very fact he will likely be 34 at the start of subsequent season, he has proven no indicators of slowing down. Since his 48 homer, 121 RBI season in 2021, Perez has nonetheless managed to hit 23, 23 and 27 residence runs with 76, 80 and 104 RBI. Since his debut season in 2011, Perez has by no means slugged under .400. He’s the Energizer Bunny…he simply retains going and going and going.
Operating with the Younger Crowd
If you wish to construct round a primary baseman youthful than the age of 28 who isn’t named Vladimir Guerrero, then begin with one of many following: Spencer Steer, Vinnie Pasquantino, Triston Casas or Josh Naylor.
Rating Steer ninth might come as a shock to some, however he hit 20 homers and drove in 92 runs whereas additionally stealing 25 bases. That may be a large benefit in comparison with different first basemen. With Encarnacion-Strand again subsequent season, Steer will probably see his taking part in time at first base decreased, however not sufficient to not make him eligible on the place after subsequent season.
I’ll admit proper now that I used to be not on the Vinnie Pasquantino bandwagon forward of the 2024 season. I used to be utterly fallacious. After being restricted to 61 video games in 2023 and slashing solely .247/.324/.437, Pasquantino rebounded to hit 19 homers and drive in 97 runs with a .262/.315/.446 slash line this 12 months. His 162-game profession common is 23 residence runs and 91 RBI with an excellent 12.2% strikeout fee and 9% stroll fee.
Not Making the Identical Mistake Twice
After whiffing on Pasquantino, I’m not going to make the identical mistake twice and ding Triston Casas. A proper shoulder harm restricted Casas to solely 60 video games this 12 months. However in these 60 video games he hit 12 homers and drove in 30 runs with a .342 OBP and .455 SLG.
His 162-game common is 31 homers and 80 RBI with a .250/.357/.473 slash line. He does strike out an excessive amount of (26.9% profession fee) however he has a 5% profession residence run fee and a median EV of 90.3 mph. His energy is actual and he needs to be in your roster if in case you have an opportunity to snag him.
Quiet Producer
Josh Naylor had a profession 12 months. There isn’t any query about that after his 31 homer, 108 RBI season. His earlier profession excessive in dingers was 20 in 2022 and his earlier excessive in RBI was 97 in 2023. Even when Naylor doesn’t attain 31 homers once more and settles into the 25-27 vary, he’ll proceed to drive in runs. In his three years as a fulltime participant for Cleveland, his RBI complete has gone from 79 to 97 to 108. When runners are on base, he places the ball in play as he had a .256/.347/.477 slash line with runners in scoring place with solely a 15.9% strikeout fee.
Heavy Hitting Veterans
Matt Olson, Pete Alonso, Freddie Freeman and Bryce Harper are actually of their 30s. Nevertheless, that doesn’t imply they don’t seem to be going to be productive for the following three to 5 years.
Olson and Alonso usually are not going to give you a fantastic batting common and their OBP is barely barely greater than the common first baseman. However each gamers can mash the ball. Olson slugged 29 homers this 12 months and he has a profession SLG of .512. Since 2018, he has not hit fewer than 29 homers in any full 162-game season. Olson may even take the sector day by day as he has performed in all 162 video games the final three years and appeared in 156 in 2021 (and even all 60 video games in 2020).
Now a free agent, Alonso goes to receives a commission this offseason after surpassing 30 homers as soon as once more, slugging 34 this previous season with 88 RBI. Since his debut season in 2019 when he hit 53 homers, he has but to hit fewer than 34 in any full 162-game season. He has a profession SLG of .514 and his 162-game common is 43 residence runs and 112 RBI.
Freeman is only a machine on the plate. An ankle harm hobbled Freeman this previous season, however he nonetheless hit 22 homers, drove in 89 runs and slashed .282/.378/.476. Freeman is sweet for practically 25 homers and 100 RBI each season to associate with a profession slash line of .300/.387/.512.
Harper is solely the most effective hitters within the recreation, it doesn’t matter what place participant you might be evaluating him to.
Want energy and run manufacturing? Harper has a profession 162-game common of 33 homers and 96 RBI. Want a stable slash line? Harper’s profession line is .281/.389/.522. Twice in his profession he has topped 1.000 in OPS and his profession OPS is .911. He’ll add just a few steals as effectively, although he managed solely seven this 12 months, his lowest complete since 2017. However you don’t need Harper due to steals. You need Harper due to the whole lot else he does.
Again on High
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a breakout season in 2021, when on the tender age of twenty-two, he hit 48 homers, drove in 111 runs and slashed .311/.401/.601 to complete second within the MVP voting. These are some fairly lofty numbers to attempt to match yearly, and Guerrero hasn’t. However all he has accomplished since then is hit 88 residence runs and drive in 294 runs whereas slashing .287/.360/.489. His “worst” season since 2021 was final 12 months when he hit 26 homers and had 94 RBI whereas slashing .264/.345/.444.
Guerrero discovered his mojo on the plate this previous season as he slashed .323/.396/.544. That may be a top-10 end throughout the board within the slash classes because the averaged ranked second in MLB whereas the OBP ranked third and the SLG ranked ninth. That’s fairly stable for a participant who hasn’t even reached his prime but.
Come Again Subsequent Week
Thanks for studying and are available again subsequent week once we proceed the journey across the infield and sort out second base.
Earlier Rankings
High 50 Dynasty Keepers for 2025 – Relievers
High 100 Dynasty Keepers for 2025 – Beginning Pitchers
High 40 Dynasty Keepers for 2025 – Catchers