The Cream of the Crop: First Base Edition

[Geki Ace]

1. Albert Pujols

.338/.433/.634; 39 HR, 107 RBI, 34 2B; 14 SB

Albert Pujols isn’t just the best first baseman in baseball. When Barry Bonds is on the shelf, Pujols is the best player in baseball. He’s truly the complete package as a player. He hits for a very high average (Career BA of .334), he hits for great power, he’s solid defensively, and while he isn’t fast, he’s an excellent baserunner, as evidenced by his 14 steals. In his career he’s been incredibly consistent as a hitter, with his lowest career average at .314, his lowest OPS at .955, and his lowest amount of at-bats 590. Pujols walks more than he strikes out, doubles as often as he hits homers, knocks in a load of runs, and scores a bunch of runs as well. If it weren’t for Barry Bonds, Pujols would likely have two or three MVP awards so far in his career, and he’s just 25 years old. He’ll have over 200 career homers when this season is over, and if he keeps this pace up, he won’t just be a surefire Hall-of-Famer, he’ll be the greatest baseball player to ever play the game.

2. Derrek Lee

.343/.424/.671; 40 HR, 97 RBI, 43 2B; 15 SB

While Lee is no longer really contending for the Triple Crown, he’s still having the best offensive season in baseball this year, and if it weren’t for the Cubs being a truly horrible team, he’d likely be a lock for the MVP award. While Lee was clearly playing above his peak for the first half of this season, there’s no doubt he’s an extraordinarily talented player. An excellent power-hitter who is currently leading the majors in batting average and OPS, Lee is also one of the best defensive first-basemen in baseball, and he’s a legitimate threat to steal a base whenever he gets on. Lee does have some holes in his game, but most of them can be easily overlooked. He strikes out quite a bit and is very streaky, and is also already age 30, but none of those are debilitating weaknesses by any means. Whether he’s having a triple-crown year or not, Lee is definitely one of the top first basemen in baseball.

3. Todd Helton

.309/.433/.505; 17 HR, 62 RBI, 36 2B; 2 SB

While Todd Helton is having a very poor year by his standards, and while he does have the vaunted Coors Field effect on his side, you cannot deny that he is still one of the best first basemen in baseball. Although his power has fallen off this year, his .309 average is, believe it or not, 27 points below his career average. Helton’s power has shrunk, but his incredible eye has not, as he’s putting up another great on-base percentage. He still sends doubles to the gaps with great regularity, and his defense is without a doubt among the best in baseball. He’s a much better hitter in Coors over his career, but his away numbers still put him among the best first basemen in baseball. That, combined with his consistency and defensive prowess, puts Helton at number three on this list.

4. Mark Teixeira

.288/.367/.546; 36 HR, 117 RBI, 33 2B; 4 SB

Teixeira, also just 25 years old, is one of the best power hitters in the league already. He hit 26 homers as a rookie, 38 last year, and is on pace for 41 this year. Not only is he an excellent power hitter, but he’s also rapidly improving in all facets of the game. His average has risen over the past three years, and his walk rate has gone up. Defensively, scouts around the league have been raving over just how good he’s gotten in such a short time. While Teixeira isn’t exactly Scott Podsednik on the bases, he’s fairly fast for a first baseman, and he’s capable of playing in the corner outfield spots, as well as third base. He’s a switch-hitter as well, giving him some versatility all over the place. Teixeira’s K:BB ratio could use a little work, and he’s still a little unpolished defensively, this young star is already one of the best power hitters in baseball, and should be interesting to watch with other young sluggers like Dunn, Pujols, and Cabrera over the next decade.

5. Carlos Delgado

.290/.386/.561; 28 HR, 100 RBI, 34 2B; 0 SB

While Delgado is often overlooked when people are talking about power hitters, he’s not one to be trifled with. An incredibly consistent hitter, two more homers this season will give Delgado 30 for the 9th year in a row, out of 10 full seasons in the bigs. When he was a free agent this winter, he was merely an afterthought when Beltran or Pedro were being discussed, but he’s been vital to the Marlins this year, protecting Miguel Cabrera in the line-up and driving in loads of runs himself. While he’s had a few injuries the past few years, he’s still produced exceptionally well, and throughout his career he’s stayed mostly healthy. At 33, Delgado has a decent shot at getting to 500 homeruns in his career. He’d need to play four more years without much drop off in production, but judging by his career thus far, he can be counted on to produce. Defensively and on the basepaths, he’s certainly nothing exciting, but he’s a great hitter who just edges out Nick Johnson for the spot on the Cream of the Crop, First Baseman edition.

Notes: Designated Hitters who also play first base (i.e. Giambi, Ortiz) were excluded from this list...Top Three Bubble Players: Nick Johnson, Paul Konerko, Richie Sexson...All Statistics current as of 9/9...

[General]

Where's Adam Laroche? Oh wait, this isn't Cream of the Crap.

[ghettochild]

those are all good choices