First base is no longer loaded with stars like in years past, but the position looks improved over last season. Vladimir Guerrero provides an edge in batting average with room for more power, and he separates himself in most projections. Meanwhile, Nick Kurtz has quickly gone from waiver-wire add to costing a top-15 overall pick in many 2026 drafts. Kurtz is this year\u2019s most interesting (riskiest?) fantasy pick, given that helium and his profile, although there\u2019s also an argument to be made for Pete Crow-Armstrong.<\/p>\n
Kurtz clubbed 36 homers over just 420 at-bats after getting called up to the Athletics last year, including a staggering 199 wRC+ with improved plate discipline in the second half. Sutter Health Park was the second-most favorable field for left-handed hitters last season (second only to Coors Field), so home environment will remain a huge help<\/a>. Kurtz has clear 50-homer potential, but he\u2019s also going high for someone who doesn\u2019t run and has a 30.9 strikeout percentage. Kurtz\u2019s .290 batting average last year came with a .245 expected BA, although he maintained high BABIPs (and batting averages) throughout the minors. For what it\u2019s worth, THE BAT X projects Kurtz as the No. 7 fantasy first baseman this season.<\/p>\n If you miss out on the big three (Pete Alonso being the other), there\u2019s a strong second tier of veteran first basemen (Matt Olson, Bryce Harper, Rafael Devers, Freddie Freeman) going later than usual.\u00a0After the top-11 first basemen (including catcher Ben Rice) are drafted, there\u2019s a drop off, with No. 12-19 all in the same tier<\/a> but at varying ADPs.\u00a0There are sleepers beyond that, as 1B provides more value than 3B later in drafts and remains the far easier route to fill corner infield spots.<\/p>\n Value targets Freddie Freeman, LAD<\/p>\n Freeman offers one of the best values in fantasy drafts right now. He\u2019s 36 years old, but Freeman\u2019s 139 wRC+ last season (while playing through injuries) was in line with his career mark (141). He hit four more homers in the second half in 78 fewer at-bats, as he was further removed from the ankle injury. Freeman will continue to benefit from batting cleanup in baseball\u2019s most loaded lineup as well as a home park that boosts lefty power. Batting average has become the single most underrated category in fantasy baseball, and Freeman is a career .300 hitter. He owns a 70.25 ADP over the past week in NFBC<\/a> drafts, which is multiple rounds behind Bryce Harper (48.45), Matt Olson (49.55) and Rafael Devers (54.02).<\/p>\n Vinnie Pasquantino, KC <\/p>\n Pasquantino crushed 17 homers over just 250 at-bats after the All-Star break last year, and Kauffman Stadium lowered and brought in its outfield walls<\/a> during the offseason. Kansas City\u2019s ballpark has suppressed left-handed batters\u2019 home runs by an MLB-high 27% compared to a neutral park over the last three years, so the recent park changes could give Pasquantino a significant boost. Kauffman Stadium has historically hampered strikeouts as much as any park in the league, so Vinnie P.\u2019s environment could become incredibly favorable in 2026. RBI production should remain high while batting in front of Bobby Witt.<\/p>\n Pasquantino struggles against lefties, but he could easily provide Matt Olson-like stats at an ADP three rounds later.<\/p>\n Tyler Soderstrom, ATH<\/p>\n Soderstrom hit .300\/.358\/.495 with a 21.4% K rate in the second half last season, and he\u2019s in no danger of a platoon, as he held his own against lefties (103 wRC+). He will hit in the middle of a loaded Athletics lineup and has upside, given how he performed at home last season. Soderstrom hit just 40% of his home runs in Sacramento despite Sutter Health Park ranking fifth in boosting power for lefties<\/a>. He maintains 1B eligibility this year after a successful move to left field last season.<\/p>\n The 24-year-old posted a 132 wRC+ on the road last year and gets to hit in baseball\u2019s second-best hitter\u2019s park again in 2026. Sign me up.<\/p>\n Sleepers Christian Walker, HOU<\/p>\n Walker is coming off a down season during his first year in Houston, but an early oblique injury likely contributed to his slow first half. He returned to his usual productive self while posting a 120 wRC+ after the All-Star break. Walker\u2019s ADP has dropped, but he\u2019s averaged 30.5 homers and 92 RBI over the past four seasons. Oddly, Walker had just a 74 wRC+ with only eight of his 27 home runs at home in 2025, which seems flukey given his Pull Air%<\/a> and Houston\u2019s HR-friendly<\/a> environment for right-handed batters.<\/p>\n While young players are more exciting, the best fantasy baseball sleepers are frequently boring old veterans, especially when coming off a down year.<\/p>\n Andrew Vaughn, MIL<\/p>\n Vaughn was rejuvenated after being traded to Milwaukee last season \u2014 .308\/.375\/.493 with nine homers and 46 RBI over 221 at-bats (64 games). His power upside is limited, but Vaughn will be a sneaky source of RBI toward the middle of the Brewers lineup. He\u2019s not a batting average drain, and the former first-round pick looked like a different hitter once freed from the White Sox. Vaughn\u2019s ADP is outside 300.<\/p>\n Overvalued Josh Naylor, SEA<\/p>\n Naylor is a good player who will continue to provide fantasy managers plenty of value, but he\u2019s a fade<\/a> at a rising cost. Naylor averaged 7.3 stolen bases from 2022 to 2024 before swiping 30 during a contract season in 2025. The Mariners love to run, but Naylor\u2019s sprint speed<\/a> is in the third percentile, and volume could decrease after signing a big contract. Naylor crushed it in T-Mobile Park in a limited sample, but he\u2019ll have to continue to overcome baseball\u2019s toughest ballpark<\/a> for left-handed batters.<\/p>\n Prospects to watch\u00a0 Sal Stewart, CIN<\/p>\n Stewart produced big stats across the minors as a 21-year-old and more than held his own after getting called up to Cincinnati late last season. The rookie has a clear path to an everyday role<\/a> at first base in 2026, and he took his conditioning to the next level during the offseason. He exhibited strong plate discipline throughout the minor leagues, and he owns 25-HR\/10-SB upside. Stewart will hit in the middle of Cincinnati\u2019s lineup and in a home park that\u2019s boosted home runs for right-handed batters by 21% (second in the league) over the last three seasons. Stewart is in a terrific situation, yet his ADP (~200) remains plenty reasonable. He\u2019s a rookie to target in fantasy drafts.<\/p>\n Bold prediction Bryce Eldridge emerges (as a top-15 first baseman) <\/p>\n Eldridge reached Triple A as a 19-year-old, but his production dropped some last season while playing through multiple injuries (including a bone spur in his wrist that required offseason surgery). The 6-foot-7 rookie enters 2026 with a full-time role in San Francisco\u2019s lineup, including against lefties. Eldridge\u2019s average exit velocity (95.6 mph), Barrel% (25.0), Hard-Hit% (68.8) and BB% (18.9) were all in the 99th percentile during his brief MLB debut, and he owns prodigious 80-grade power<\/a>.<\/p>\n Oracle Park won\u2019t help him, but an improved Giants lineup will. Eldridge enters the year as a UT-only in most formats, but he\u2019ll soon get 1B eligibility while splitting time there with Devers. Eldridge is just 21 years old, and track records are poor with hitters his height, but there\u2019s also massive power potential<\/a>. While unlikely, Eldridge may have the best chance of being \u201cthis year\u2019s Nick Kurtz.\u201d There are similarities between the two young Bay Area prospects (including being overlooked<\/a>).<\/p>\n