Fantasy Baseball ADP - First Base: Top Five Or Bust For 1B In 2025

What was once the easiest position to draft in fantasy baseball, first base, has become a lot trickier over the last several years. 

Love it or hate it, the Steroid Era gave rise to so many 25-homer bats that if you missed out on a top-tier first baseman like Mark McGwire or Carlos Delgado, there were still plenty of names available in the lower tiers like Tino Martinez or Eric Karros who could still pop you close to 30 dingers and maintain a batting average of .290 or better.

Sure, there was a distinct power drop-off from the 40-homer tier, but with so many viable options to be found further into your fantasy baseball draft, there wasn’t as pressing a need to attack the position early like there is right now.

1B Fantasy Baseball ADP - First Base 2025

Last season, only four first basemen cracked the 30-homer barrier and only one of them, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., hit .300 for the season. Bryce Harper batted .285 while Pete Alonso and Josh Naylor stayed in the .240 range. 

Beyond that, only two first baseman hit at least 20 home runs and maintained a batting average north of .260 – Freddie Freeman (22 HR with a .282 average) and Salvador Perez, who hit .271 while popping 27 home runs. But Perez still had catcher-eligibility, so we don’t even count him among the desirable first basemen in fantasy baseball. 

That means we’re looking at maybe only four or five really strong candidates to target at the position this season and the early fantasy baseball ADP tells the full story. We can start with the color-coded chart below:

There are no big secrets here. The top five at the position is everyone’s top five at the position. Some might put Freeman ahead of Harper or Alonso over Matt Olson, but none of them should be expected to fall past the third round.

They have all been consistent with the power and RBI production over the years and while Alonso and Olson will likely struggle with the batting average again, their power totals are expected to keep them head-and-shoulders above the rest.

As you set up your fantasy baseball draft plan, you have to really ask yourself how important it is to have one of the top-tier first baseman. For me, it is highly recommended that your draft plan includes one of the top five among your targets. Doesn’t matter which one, but not having one puts more questions on you regarding not just your team’s power totals, but how much damage they can do to your average and on-base percentage. The next ADP tier is probably the lowest I will be going this season.

While fantasy baseball projections from site to site may vary, the next four on the list – Josh Naylor, Christian Walker, Triston Casas and Vinnie Pasquantino – should all fall within the 25-30 home run range with batting averages that should fall somewhere around the .260 range.

The ADP and my own player rankings follow suit, but not to the point where you need to reach for any of them. Why? Because, when push comes to shove, how certain are we that someone like Casas will outperform someone like Paul Goldschmidt, who can be drafted three or four rounds later? Or how about Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who can be drafted 8-to-10 rounds later?

The color-coding on the chart is really just to separate by ADP; to give you an idea of where in your draft you should be taking some of these guys. But, in truth, once you get past the top five, there is really no rush to draft the position.

There is a considerable drop-off in overall production going from Olson or Alonso to Walker or Casas, but if, in your draft, you miss out on someone like Naylor or Walker, there is no rush to add a guy like Goldschmidt or even Ryan Mountcastle ahead of their current fantasy baseball ADP, because they’re really not much different from Nathaniel Lowe or even Jonathan Aranda.

There are plenty of other positions that are flush with depth. Shortstop, outfield and even third base have enough to let you target a top five first baseman over one of those spots and not miss out on overall production. If you see the opportunity in your draft to follow suit, chef recommends. If not, simply wait until the time is right and fortify your roster everywhere else.

What Is ADP In Fantasy Baseball?

If you're just starting out and asking yourself, “What is ADP in fantasy baseball?”, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered. ADP stands for Average Draft Position, which shows the typical place a player gets picked in fantasy drafts from different leagues.

Knowing about ADP is super helpful for getting ready for your draft. It helps you figure out how valuable players are, spot some great picks that others might miss, and avoid spending too much on certain players.

Since ADP can change depending on the platform, make sure to look at the data for the site you're using. By keeping an eye on fantasy baseball ADP trends, you can make smarter choices, discover hidden talents and create a stronger team!