Baseball America is continuing dynasty ranking season with positional breakdowns of the top fantasy baseball players heading into the 2026 season.

Nick Kurtz, who burst onto the scene in 2025 with a four-homer game and one of the best rookie seasons in recent memory, heads up our ranking of the top 40 first basemen available for next season.

It’s important to note the rankings below do not measure past 2025 value or projected 2026 value. Instead, our rankings look at a three-year window in an attempt to balance a variety of scoring types, with MLB proximity and performance peaks highly weighted in our analysis.

Top 40 First Baseman Dynasty Rankings

1. Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics

After carving up the minor leagues in his professional debut, we had an inkling that the fourth-overall draft pick from 2024 would be productive in his rookie season. We just had no idea he’d be this good. After totaling five fWAR and 36 home runs in only 489 plate appearances, Kurtz already has one of highest peak home run projections using many public projections. Expect his .290 batting average to regress a bit in 2026, as his xBA was “only” .255, but the A’s slugger demolished nearly all pitch types en route to a 170 wRC+ in his age-22 season. The sky is the limit.

2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Blue Jays

Despite logging a fifth-straight season of 680 or more plate appearances and entering his physical prime, Guerrero had his lowest home run and RBI totals since 2021. Maybe he was just saving himself for a historical postseason run. With a near .300 batting average, .400 on-base percentage, and 25-30 home runs to go with 90-100 runs and RBIs, the Jays’ first baseman feels like he is on the verge of a monster season sooner or later.

3. Bryce Harper, 1B, Phillies

For the fifth time in the last six seasons, Harper didn’t quite reach 600 plate appearances. This stat is a bit misleading, however, as he still hit 27 home runs (over 580 plate appearances). Still, his overall level of production was lower than what we expect. With only 72 runs, 75 RBIs and a .261 batting average, this was Harper’s worst full season in a while. Whether Dave Dombrowski’s comments about this perhaps being the beginning of Harper’s decline are true or meant only to motivate him to rage-slug his way back to his previous heights, remains to be seen. We still think he is a 30-homer bat with above-average BA and OBP. But he’s dinged on dynasty lists because he is in his 30s and his poor-for-him 2025 can’t just be ignored.

4. Pete Alonso, 1B, Free Agent

In his age-30 season, Alonso hit 38 home runs and knocked in 126 runs while putting up the highest batting average (.272) and wRC+ (141) of his career. Not counting the pandemic-shortened season, it marked his sixth-straight campaign of 34 or more home runs. Alonso’s kind of power is likely park agnostic, meaning, no matter where he signs, you can count on 35 home runs, 100 RBIs and a .250 average. There will maybe be a five-home run variance depending on which park he ends up calling home.

5. Rafael Devers, 1B, Giants

It started off controversially, but after finally being traded to the Giants and ending the Red Sox saga, Devers rolled out his sixth-straight season (pandemic-shortened year excluded) of 600-plus plate appearances. Now a first baseman—though also likely getting frequent at bats as a DH—Devers should be “protected” from injury and be able to maintain the same kind of volume over the next several years. What does it mean for the slugger heading into his age-29 season? More of the same, which is essentially Pete Alonso but from the left side. Devers, however, plays in a park that throttles his power slightly, giving Alonso the slight edge.

6. Matt Olson, 1B, Braves

For the fourth-straight season, Matt Olson played all 162 games. That type of consistent volume might be beginning to take its toll on the 31-year-old slugger, however, because he just had his lowest home run and RBI total over that span. He’s only two years removed from his 54-home run, 139-RBI season, but that type of outcome seems unlikely again. Expect something in the Pete Alonso and Rafael Devers range, but from someone who is a few years older, meaning an earlier and steeper decline when comparing the trio.

7. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Dodgers

He’s not quite the Freeman of yesteryear, as the Dodgers first baseman had a sub-.300 batting average and missed the 25-home run plateau for the second consecutive year, despite surpassing 620 plate appearances for the fifth-straight year. Surprisingly, even with that volume and the vaunted Dodgers lineup surrounding him, he was barely able to crack 90 RBIs after knocking in 89 in 2024. Still, Freeman wormed his way into the top 15 on this list, and we expect a 2026 similar to his last two seasons. After all, he was still a top 50 fantasy value in 2025.

8. Tyler Soderstrom, 1B/OF, Athletics

Achieving 600 plate appearances for the first time in his career, the 23-year-old hit 25 home runs with 93 RBIs and accrued over 3 fWAR. More impressively, his batting average was .276 with an xBA of .272. Expect some regression in the batting average, as his projected strikeout rate corresponds to more of a .260 to .265 area. But with OF/1B eligibility and 25-30 home run power in a good lineup and offensive park, Soderstrom is likely considered a very valuable asset in your dynasty leagues.

9. Josh Naylor, 1B, Mariners

Naylor stole how many bases? Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you: The product of Mississauga, Ontario stole 30 bases despite his third percentile sprint speed that had him averaging fewer than five bags in his previous six seasons in the big leagues. Will the 29-year-old slugger provide the second-most value at the first base position again in 2026? Unlikely. But 12-15 steals may still be in the cards while he continues to bring a solid batting average and 25-30 home runs. And with better-than-average defense at the position, he’s likely not yet quite ready to be sent out to the DH pasture. 

10. Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B, Royals

Pasquantino is very similar to Josh Naylor one slot above. Both players are just below the top tier of first basemen, in their late 20s and provide power with a solid batting average. Pasquantino, however, doesn’t provide the potential to steal double-digit bases, so we’re giving Naylor the edge here. Pasquantino had 32 home runs and 113 RBIs while hitting .264 this past season, finally breaking out into the run producer that we’ve been heralding in these pages for a few years now. Over the last three years, Kauffman Stadium is the worst park for home runs for lefthanders, but it doesn’t seem to be able to contain the Pasquatch. Expect another 25-30 home runs for the next few years.

11. Ben Rice, C/1B, Yankees

In spring training, Rice was showing a huge 2 mph increase in bat speed and became an immediate sleeper despite the questions about his role with the Yankees. Well, Rice lit up his Statcast lollipops so red that the Yankees had no choice but to play him as much as they could, so much so that he even earned catcher eligibility for 2026. Heading into his age-27 season, the only real question mark keeping his value suppressed is whether he will remain primarily a strongside platoon, capping his ceiling. Still, on a per-PA basis, his production is essentially on par with Vinnie Pasquantino and Josh Naylor, but with catcher eligibility. If he can keep that, expect him to be higher on this list next year.

12. Michael Busch, 1B, Cubs

In 1,092 career plate appearances in the major leagues, Busch has 57 home runs and an .803 OPS, corresponding to a 124 wRC+. Even as a first baseman, having a 30-home run average per 600 plate appearances will play. Finally getting out from the Dodgers bottleneck has treated Busch well and, heading into his age-28 season, he should continue to produce at a 25-30 home run pace with better-than-average OBP while hitting in the middle of a championship-contending lineup (though, with the floor of a strongside platoon). One thing to note is that his bat speed is in the bottom 20th percentile of the league but he has an xSLG and barrel rate in the 95th percentile. Clearly, Busch optimizes his angles.

13. Bryce Eldridge, 1B, Giants

A perennial RoboScout favorite, the lefthanded-hitting slugger debuted late in 2025 but struggled with a .476 OPS over 37 plate appearances. With the acquisition of Rafael Devers and the offense-suppressive confines of Oracle Park, there are some headwinds, but, heading into his age-21 season, Eldridge demonstrated top-of-the-league exit velocities in his brief debut. That’s what we expected, having seen his 108 mph 90th percentile exit velocity and double-plus barrel rates in the minors last year. At peak, he will routinely put up 30ish home run seasons—just maybe not next year.

14. Sal Stewart, 1B, Reds

Stewart has strong Vinnie Pasquantino vibes thanks to a combination of hitting and above-average power. Their Double-A output, for example, was near-identical. That’s good for Stewart considering he was two years younger than Pasquantino. At peak, RoboScout sees both as having a similar .280/.355/25 HR peak projection. Heading into his age-22 season in a hitter’s park, Stewart may find himself on more of a .270 batting average/20 HR pace, but if you can get five years of that as a floor with a peak of 2025 Pasquantino, we might have him ranked too low.

15. Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Guardians

In 2024, Manzardo ended up with 27 home runs in fewer than 550 plate appearances. He even got five of them against lefthanders in 95 plate appearances. Still, he might be destined to be a strongside platoon, as he had a sub-.200 batting average and an 86 wRC+ against southpaws. In the minor leagues, Manzardo was lauded for excellent angles despite exit velocities not quite at the stratospheric levels of other sluggers. In fact, based on the categorization of batted balls, Baseball Savant has Manzardo compared to Spencer Torkelson, Willy Adames, Wilyer Abreu, Taylor Ward and Austin Wells—all hitters who are expected to hit 20-25 home runs per year. Unfortunately, similar to Torkelson and Wells, Manzardo might have sub-.240 batting averages, especially since he had a .225 xBA in 2025. Heading into his age-25 season, we are optimistic that he could take a step forward in 2025, especially since he’s still a few years away from his expected peak and showed last year that he can recognize and hit all types of spin.

16. Yandy Diaz, 1B, Rays

For the eighth-straight year, Diaz posted a wRC+ over 110, and he reached 600 plate appearances for the third year in a row. The 2025 season was particularly good for Diaz, as he set a career high in home runs with 25 and plate appearances with 651 while hitting exactly .300. He is now heading into his age-35 season and played 75% of his games last year at DH. While that should allow him to avoid the nagging injuries he always seems to grapple with during the season and again reach 600 PA, he is at risk of losing first base eligibility in the very near future. That’s especially so with the ascendance of Jonathan Aranda.

17. Jonathan Aranda, 1B, Rays

Speaking of Aranda, he posted a fantastic .316/.393/.489 line over 422 plate appearances in 2025. He had only 14 home runs despite having an 80th percentile barrel rate, but that would be 20-plus home runs in five different stadiums, per Baseball Savant’s xHRs. He’s not much better than Yandy Diaz on defense or the basepaths, but he is seven years younger. Heading into his age-28 season (and first full season) with a career wRC+ of 120, Steamer has Aranda with a seemingly low .263 batting average, despite his having a .298 xBA in 2025. 

18. Spencer Torkelson, 1B, Tigers

For the second time in the last three years, Torkelson hit 31 home runs. And he’s still only 25 years old. He’s only one year removed, however, from being demoted to Triple-A in a shocking 2024 season. He also still had only a .227 batting average. In many ways, Torkelson is a righthanded-hitting Kyle Manzardo. But without fear of a platoon, he might have a higher floor.

19. Alec Burleson, 1B/OF, Cardinals

Burleson broke out in 2024 when he produced a .269 batting average with 21 home runs, 71 runs and 78 RBIs, ranking eighth overall among first basemen. In 2025, he dropped to 19th as he was limited to 139 total games. Though he saw a drop in counting stats, he made improvements with his batting average, walk rate and isolated slugging. Burleson also saw a significant jump in barrel rate, going from 6.5% in 2024 to 9.4% last season, and his average exit velocity climbed, as well. There were noticeable skill and power improvements year over year, and Burleson could see a performance in 2026 more in line with his actual skills.   

20. Willson Contreras, 1B, Cardinals

In 2024, Contreras broke his left forearm and right finger, missing about half of the season. In order to reduce the bumps and bruises that come from playing catcher and keep his bat (career 122 wRC+), the Cardinals moved him to first base full time. Unfortunately, the 33-year-old still missed nearly 20% of the season with a variety of ailments, including back, wrist, foot, and biceps injuries before finally being felled by a shoulder strain. Clearly, injury risk is always in play with Contreras, but first base should afford him the opportunity to log 500-plus plate appearances with 20-25 home runs and around a .250 batting average as he heads into his age-34 season. The batting average (and age) is a step down from the Pasquantino, Naylor, Stewart tier, but he is a productive hitter even as he starts to accelerate into the decline phase of his career.

21. Triston Casas, 1B, Red Sox

Injuries have hampered Casas, who just a few years ago was viewed as a future star. The 6-foot-4 slugger was limited to just 29 games in 2025 after rupturing his patella tendon. This follows a 2024 season where Casas was limited to 63 games after he fractured a rib in April. It’s possible these injuries are simply bad luck and Casas is still the same player he was following an impressive rookie season in 2023. Casas still has 30-plus homer power with strong plate skills, meaning he could be a great value heading into 2026. But we must acknowledge that, after two injury-shortened seasons, he comes with significant risk.

22. Colt Keith, 1B/2B/3B, Tigers

Keith played just enough first and second base to qualify at three different positions entering 2026. This is a bump to his value, as he fits into a perfect infield utility role in dynasty. If your league rosters corner infield and middle infield spots, Keith could potentially fill five or six different positions on a roster next season. His production at the plate improved slightly in 2025, as he hit .256/.333/.413 with 13 home runs, but in terms of fantasy worth, he saw a decline in his value. Still, Keith saw a jump in barrel rate (9.2%) in his sophomore campaign last season, and he actually underproduced his xwOBA of .351 with a .325 wOBA. Additionally, Keith saw a rise in line-drive rate and flyball rate, as well as an improvement to his chase rate and swinging-strike rate.  

23. Coby Mayo, 1B, Orioles

It hasn’t been the start to Mayo’s MLB career that most expected two years ago, as the young Orioles slugger has seen the shine come off his once-lofty prospect status. Mayo finally started to see regular playing time in August and seemed to find his sea legs. He slashed .301/.393/.548 with five home runs in September and showed the ability to consistently hit lefthanded pitching. His role to begin 2026 is currently up for some debate as Mayo, Samuel Basallo and Ryan Mountcastle will wrestle for at-bats between first base and DH. In all likelihood, Mayo and Basallo will be the victors long term, as they add some power to the Orioles lineup going forward. 

24. Salvador Perez, C/1B, Royals

For the second-straight year, the ageless wonder surpassed 640 plate appearances and 27 home runs, while retaining his catcher eligibility. Although the now-36-year-old had a .236 batting average, his .279 xBA was actually his highest since the pandemic season. In other words, it’s pretty safe to expect another 25 home runs from the Royals captain with a batting average closer to .260 than .230. After signing an extension for 2026 and 2027, his dynasty league floor, at least for those two years, should be stable.

25. Nolan Schanuel, 1B, Angels

Schanuel reached the major leagues just a month (22 minor league games) after being drafted out of Florida Atlantic. Over the last two seasons, he has produced solid batting averages, on-base percentages and counting stats. His lack of power, speed and elite batting average have kept him on the outside of the top 25 first baseman in fantasy the last two seasons, however. As such, Schanuel is a deeper league play or a bench option in mid-sized dynasty leagues. In order for Schanuel to produce a top 15 season at the position, he’ll need to find more power or experience a heavy dose of good luck on balls in play. 

26. Ryan Clifford, 1B, Mets

Clifford finished 2025 at Double-A as the second-ranked hitter (behind only Kevin McGonigle) with a 147 wRC+ and 24 home runs over 437 plate appearances. With a 14% walk rate and 25% strikeout rate, he is a prototypical “three true outcomes” hitter. The good news is that his contact rate and in-zone contact rate are both average, something all the more impressive given he was three years younger than the average hitter in Double-A. Under the hood, he has a 109 mph 90th percentile exit velocity with great angles. 

27. Andrew Vaughn, 1B, Brewers

On May 21, the White Sox demoted Vaughn to Triple-A after opening the season with an inconceivable .189/.218/.314 slash line. In June, the Brewers traded Aaron Civale for the 27-year-old first baseman. He debuted for Milwaukee on June 7 and had a .308/.375/.493 tenure over 254 plate appearances with nine home runs. The 2019 third-overall draft pick is expected to be exactly who he was in the two years in Chicago prior to being traded: .250 batting average with 20ish home runs.

28. Ralphy Velazquez, 1B, Guardians

Velazquez performed poorly in the Midwest League to open last year, hitting just .206/.282/.411 in his first 64 games. A lot of those struggles were the product of poor luck on balls in play, as his BABIP was just .235 over that period. Once the calendar turned to July, Velazquez’s season picked up, as he hit .330/.408/.591 over the final 58 games. He reached Double-A on Aug. 12 and impressed over the final 28 games, hitting .330/.405/.589 with five home runs. There’s little question about Velazquez’s offensive ability, and he could hit his way to Cleveland by midsummer 2026. A good sleeper to bet on across all formats this season, he has particular value in dynasty leagues.    

29. Christian Walker, 1B, Astros

From 2022 to 2024 with the Diamondbacks, Walker averaged 32 home runs with a 120 wRC+. Coming to the Astros in 2025 seemed to be a tailor-made fit for the 34-year-old whose age curve regression might be compensated by the Crawford Boxes. He still finished with 27 home runs and 88 RBIs, but he posted a 99 wRC+ and looked shaky through the end of June when he had a .213 batting average with only 10 home runs. His second half, however, looked exactly in line with his previous three years: 15 home runs and a 120 wRC+. Heading into his age-35 season, it’s clearly less of a lock that Walker repeats his performance. This might be the last year of 25-plus home runs and full-time at-bats, despite being signed through 2027.

30. Luis Arraez, 1B, Free Agent

After spending parts of two seasons with the Padres, Arraez entered the free agent market heading into 2026. Where Arraez lands won’t likely impact much in terms of his fantasy value, which has ranged from 13th to 21st among all first basemen the last three seasons. Arraez provides elite batting averages, solid on-base percentages and enough counting stats despite little in the way of power or speed. He’s not a starting option anymore in fantasy, but he’s a solid bench option or utility bat in a deeper league. Arraez is only 29 years old in 2026 and could still have a handful of useful fantasy seasons remaining, but the ceiling is capped. 

31. Lenyn Sosa, 1B/3B, White Sox

The idea of Sosa producing a 22-home run season was not something any fantasy manager anticipated entering 2025. Sosa saw an uptick in hard-hit rate in 2024, and that trend continued to push upwards in 2025, helping him to finish as the 20th-ranked first baseman in fantasy. He posted a career-best barrel rate of 10.4% due to improved exit velocities and launch angles. While his quality of contact has improved, Sosa’s swing decisions are still atrocious. He chased 41.6% of the time in 2025—a style of hitting that just isn’t sustainable. Sosa presents a solid bench or utility option in 5×5 roto leagues, but he’s basically unplayable in OBP and points formats due to his 3.3% walk rate.   

32. Miguel Vargas, 1B/3B, White Sox

Finally surpassing 350 plate appearances in a season, the former Dodgers prospect had his first major league season with a wRC+ above 100, positive WAR and more than 15 home runs. Qualifying at first base and third base for 2026, Vargas should once again find himself in the middle of the White Sox lineup. He should take a step forward as a 26-year-old and hit around 20 home runs, steal 10 bases and hit .240ish with the potential for more upside.

33. Spencer Steer, 1B, Reds

Even after two-straight seasons in which he averaged 22 home runs and 20 stolen bases, Steer was a tough one to value for 2025, as the Reds had a lot of players vying for a finite number of spots. Add in the fact that Steer’s outfield defense was below average, and it wasn’t too hard to foresee a scenario in which Steer lost playing time to some other options. Instead, Steer became the primary first base option for the Reds and once again hit 20+ home runs while even earning a Gold Glove nomination. Unfortunately for 2026, Steer finds himself in another fight for playing time, as Sal Stewart is the likely starter at first base. With Austin Hays’s option not being picked up, Steer should find himself in the outfield mix, where you can expect another season of 20 home runs and 10ish stolen bases.

34. Spencer Horwitz, 1B, Pirates

For years, Horwitz was a favorite prospect sleeper of ours, and over the last few seasons, he’s seen an extended run in the majors. In 108 games with the Pirates in 2025, he hit .272/.353/.434 with 11 home runs. There’s not a ton of power here, but it’s still enough to project 14-17 over a full season with a good batting average and OBP and solid counting stats. With Konnor Griffin potentially joining the Pirates’ lineup in 2026, there could be even more counting stats to be had at the top of the Pittsburgh lineup. 

35. Ryan O’Hearn, 1B/OF, Free Agent

Over the last three seasons, O’Hearn has provided solid deep league production as a multi-position corner infield/outfield bat ranking inside the top 25-30 consistently. He has multi-position eligibility and a track record of health, with no IL stints over the last three seasons. O’Hearn was an American League all-star in the first half last year but saw his production dip following the trade to San Diego. A free agent entering 2026, his landing spot will dictate how much playing time he sees in 2025 and beyond. Entering his age-32 season, O’Hearn showed a slight dip in contact rates, but, overall, his expected outcomes were unchanged between 2024 and 2025.  

36. Jake Burger, 1B, Rangers

Power hitters with low walk rates leave a lot up to chance for their respective fantasy managers, as batted-ball luck has a greater impact on their production compared to more well-rounded hitters. Burger’s 2025 season encapsulates this style of hitting and its risks to a tee. After hitting 34 and 29 home runs in 2023 and 2024, respectively, Burger hit just 16 homers in an injury-plagued 2025 season. Burger also saw a dip in isolated slugging and a jump in o-swing and swinging-strike rate. That said, now that Burger’s value has plummeted, he looks like a worthy bounce-back candidate. He endured a turbulent first season with the Rangers missing time with oblique, quadriceps and wrist injuries, the latter of which required surgery following the season. Despite this, Burger did see a jump in his barrel rate and hard-hit rate in 2025. Entering his age-30 season, Burger might be a cheap buy who could provide power and good overall production particularly in standard 5×5 scoring formats. His lack of on-base skills will likely make him a less-valuable option in OBP and points formats.    

37. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Free Agent

Goldschmidt is closing in on the end of a storied career, one in which he was a stalwart at the top of first baseman rankings. At this point, he’s a “break glass in case of emergency” option who shouldn’t be counted on to provide top 20 production. He’s 38 years old entering next season and is coming off a year in which he hit .274/.328/.403 with 10 home runs and 76 runs over 146 games.  

38. Curtis Mead, 1B/3B, White Sox

Once considered a top fantasy prospect, Mead never clicked with the Rays and was dealt to the White Sox at the 2025 trade deadline. He didn’t impress during his late-season stint in Chicago, but entering his age-25 season, Mead at least has an opportunity to find solid playing time, particularly if the team decides to trade Edgar Quero, as has been rumored.  

39. Rhys Hoskins, 1B, Free Agent

Things bottomed out for Hoskins in 2025, as he was held to just 90 games and produced fewer than 26 home runs and a sub-.200 isolated slugging for the first time in his career. A free agent entering his age-33 season, Hoskins is an emergency option in fantasy at this point or a cheap flier you take in case of a return to prominence. His under-the-hood skills and power remain intact despite injury sapping him of time in the field. After missing the entire 2023 season with a knee injury, is Hoskins breaking down or just the victim of bad luck? 

40. Ryan Mountcastle, 1B, Orioles

Where Mountcastle fits in the Orioles’ lineup is the biggest question facing him in 2026. A potential trade candidate, he is a high-variance power hitter with low walk rates and an aggressive approach at the plate. He’s been unable to recapture the mixture of batted-ball luck and power that drove his 33-homer 2021 campaign, as he hasn’t topped 23 home runs in four years since his breakout season. At 29 years of age entering 2026, Mountcastle is now an afterthought in dynasty.