2011 FIRST BASEMEN CONSENSUS RANKINGS

[deansdaddy]

Please rank your top-12 First Basemen using standard 5x5 rotisserie scoring rules (HR, BA, RBI, SB, R)

Feel free to provide commentary along with your picks.

Scoring will be done MVP style, your top catcher will get 12 points.

If you want to give honorable mentions to those outside your Top 12, feel free.

After we receive enough votes, we'll post the results in a separate thread along with comparisons to the actual Mastersball projections.

Look forward to seeing everyone's lists and thoughts.

[deansdaddy]

When making your lists let's keep Buster Posey as a C only. Yes he qualifies at 1B - but if you draft him you will be employing him as a C.

Kevin Youkilis is a tougher case - since he enters the year as 1B eligible only. However he will be playing 3B this year and will gain that eligibility in Week 2. I guess add him to your 1B lists if you like.

I will add my own lists and commentary to these threads later today - but we wanted to get something up to get everyone started.

[viper]

Glad to see this rating thread back. Were you threatening to hold this thread out unless you became a moderator? j/k

As usual I will not contribute a list but at least I have an excuse this year. Because I am only doing two AL-only and two NL-only leagues, I will not be creating any mixed league lists. Still, this and the pitchers list are two of the better threads each spring.

[Black Sox]

Here's Mine....

12 Pujols, Albert
11 Cabrera, Miguel
10 Votto, Joey
9 Gonzalez, Adrian
8 Fielder, Prince
7 Teixeira, Mark
6 Youkilis, Kevin ( love that flexibility plus he's been hitting since Oct )
5 Howard, Ryan
4 Dunn, Adam
3 Morales, Kendry (worried about the ankle issue but would feel comfortable taking him here)
2 Butler, Billy
1 Morneau, Justin ( worried about the concussions lingering, HUGE risk/reward play )

Just missing the cut ( but could make a case for bumping Morneau )...
Konerko, Paul
Lee, Derrek
LaRoche, Adam

[deansdaddy]

Glad to see this rating thread back. Were you threatening to hold this thread out unless you became a moderator? j/k

As usual I will not contribute a list but at least I have an excuse this year. Because I am only doing two AL-only and two NL-only leagues, I will not be creating any mixed league lists. Still, this and the pitchers list are two of the better threads each spring.

Hey Mike - We were just waiting to get the go ahead. But obviously, it was time to get some discussion going again. I look forward to the Tiers of SP thread as well. We'll do something with SP and check with Bod to see if he's going to post his again this year. Oh, one other thing - throw up a list - no commentary necessary. 2AL and 2NL means you have both leagues covered. I think a list based off just the top of your head has value as well so don't hold back.

[deansdaddy]

Here's my 1B rankings for 2011:

1.) Albert Pujols - Still #1 on my draft board. I don't agree with any argument I've heard yet to pick anyone else with the #1 pick. The fact that he has added double-digit stolen bases to the ledger two straight seasons only makes the decision that much easier.
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2.) Miguel Cabrera - Clear runner-up to Pujols and I don't disagree with anyone who grabs him as high as #2. That said, I passed on Cabrera twice in early 15 team drafts with the #2 and #4 picks. His recent arrest has hurt his stock somewhat and he has slid back down a bit providing a buying opportunity for owners.

3.) Joey Votto - I had a rough season last year, but one of the highlights for me was being the guy who nominated Joey Votto as a player who would become a 1st rounder in 2011 at the NY First Pitch Forum. Todd actually did the analysis of the nominees and singled out Votto as the most intriguing name given. He lost that vote to Justin Upton but won the war with his 2010 season. Votto is right smack dab in his prime and it is not crazy to expect even more improvement this year.

4.) Adrian Gonzalez - The only question that remains is how the shoulder will effect his power. It may early on, but he's going to love hitting in Boston and NO ONE on this list boasts a better group of table setters than he will have hitting in front of him this year.
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5.) Prince Fielder - I like Fielder to bounce back this year and he clearly has the ability to put up MVP type numbers. But the FA drama will swirl around him all year. He is also a good bet to get dealt later this year. Still, the price for the Prince will never be better than it will be this year since the next two names below him on this will likely both get called before Fielder's does.

6.) Ryan Howard - Let's not kid around here, Howard had a rough 2010. He clearly missed Utley and Rollins when they were out. He also had an ankle injury that likely hampered him much of the year. He is still a BA risk, but I think his other numbers will bounce right back at a reduced price.

7.) Mark Teixeira - Many will have Tex higher, but last year was a down year for him as well. It hasn't been said yet, but what if the Yanks get smart and move Cano to the 3 hole and drop Tex to 5? Arod will stay at cleanup no matter what since the Yanks will split up the two LHB. If that happens maybe last's years numbers will be what you get again.
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8.) Kevin Youkilis - He'll have more value at 3B, but he must be drafted as a 1B since he won't qualify at 3B til 10 games in. In deep leagues it is even more likely that you might lean on him as your 1B all year. He won't come close to the power numbers the others provide but his BA makes up for it in spades. That said, he's a guy I never seem to end up owning.

9.) Adam Dunn - Dunn gets this spot due to his durability and consistency. You pretty much know what you are going to get from him. 40 dingers in the bank. I think many are excited to see what he will do in the AL this year. He is a great fallback if you go the scarcity route early in drafts.

10.) Kendry Morales - Morales will be undervalued this year coming back from injury. I actually like Mourneau more as a player, but if both are there when I'm looking 1B, I'd choose Morales almost every time. Keep an eye on him in ST to see how he looks. I think he'll be fine and shouldn't struggle to match 2009.

11.) Justin Mourneau - I know the risks involved but make sure to think about the rewards as well. Everyone else after him has questions of their own and none have Mourneau's upside. Drafting him is not for the risk-averse of course and if you do draft him make sure to cover yourself later on. For example - I grabbed him in the 4th round (#59) of a 15 team draft. I then backed him up with Billy Butler in the 9th as well as other CI in my reserve rounds so if he goes down again I'll have a better chance to weather the storm.
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12.) Billy Butler - I agree with blacksox that there is a decent gap from #11 to #12 for me. Call me a fool but I will go to the well with Butler one more time this year. The price will be right for a guy we know will hit .300 and hope again this year that the power develops. I'd rather have him than the guys in my HM list.

HM: Paul Konerko - Never pay for a career year. That goes double when the guy is 35.
Carlos Lee
Gaby Sanchez
Aubrey Huff -

[deansdaddy]

Let's bump this back up so those that hav e posted in other rankings threads don't miss this one.

[AllstonRockCity]

1 Pujols - the lowest total in each stat in his career .312 32HR 1SB 103RBI 99R, I will take that
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2 Votto - at the age where he could still be growing, he could also regress, but I like him, a lot
3 Miggy - would be 2, could still be, but the DUI obviously a concern, still a 1st rounder
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4 AGonz - everyone just assumes he's going to put up monster numbers, i am a contrarian by nature, so I question this, even as a Sox fan
5 Teixeira - i see a big year coming
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6 Fielder - 35+HR seems likely, as does and AVG south of 280
7 Morales - was leading the AL in HR and RBI when he went down
8 Dunn - consistently solid
9 Morneau - could provide stats of the previous tier but concussions a concern
10 Konerko - if there were an award for the opposite of comeback player of the year, he would be my leading candidate
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11 Butler - ABs and AVG a plenty, limited power potential, or is there?
12 Lee - Camden Yards is a great place to hit and that lineup looks good
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Sanchez, Pena, LaRoche

[Mickey4081]

1. Pujols
2. Cabrera
3. Votto
4. Fielder- Now in his prime and with a solid track record this slugger should be a threat for 40+bombs a year.
5. Gonzalzez
6. Texeira
7. Howard- 40+ bombs would hardly be a surprise.
8. Youkillis- solid all around numbers but the power numbers aren't staggering for corner infielder
9. Dunn- should send 45 of those deep flyballs over the wall at The Cell.
10. Konerko- Won't come close to last season's numbers but should post .275 30 100
11. Morales
12. Mourneu- slap the high risk/high reward on this guy.

[bahamamike]

1. Albert Pujols
2. Miguel Cabrera
3. Joey Voto
4. Adrien Gonzalez
I put these 4 as tier 1....everyone talks about the increase in power for Gonzalez, but I am looking at the increased RBI and Runs from being in a better lineup, this is what's them all together in my mind.

5. Fielder
6. Howard
7. Dunn
8. Texeira

I think you can flip these 4 in any order. The BA upside is higher with Field, and Texeira, but I think the pure power of Dunn gives him the edge

9. Youkilis
10. Morneau
11. Morales
12. Konerko

Obviously Morneau and Morales could move higher up this list, but I personally would not own either this year. Don't pay for last year's numbers with Konerko, but I would still rather him over Butler (lack of power)

[deansdaddy]

bump

[Bodhizefa]

1) Albert Pujols - I wonder just how the onslaught of contract (and potential trade) questions will get to him. I hope it motivates him to be even better, but you just never know since he's never really faced media pressure like he's about to undergo. Also, he gets his own tier because he is the best player in baseball, fantasy or otherwise.
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2) Adrian Gonzalez - Fenway Park is going to help show the world just how good he really is. Goodbye Petco, hello fantasy god.
3) Joey Votto - I love him, but there's probably regression coming his way a bit. Still, a guy who can contribute in every category like he does at elite levels is a superstar no matter what.
4) Miguel Cabrera - I know he's got tons of talent, but I'm downgrading due to the personal issues. Two times in the past 6 months we've heard about Cabrera and alcohol being a problem for him. That's enough of a sample for me to think he's got a serious problem that isn't going to stop any time soon. And he doesn't even admit there's a problem, too. Yikes!
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5) Prince Fielder - Contract year!
6) Mark Teixeira - He'll rebound back into the .290 hitter with 35+ homers and tons of RBI. If he's going for a good value, I'll gladly take him.
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7) Kevin Youkilis - He's a badass bat in a scary-ass line-up. Sign me up.
8) Ryan Howard - I think the biggest problem I have with him is that the top of his line-up isn't that scary any more. Gone are the days of 140 RBI as Utley and Rollins are no longer reliable full-season table setters with their injury issues mounting. I think the power rebounds to near 40 homers, but there's not much room for him to get better otherwise with a mediocre line-up around him.
9) Adam Dunn - U.S. Cellular Park, meet Adam Dunn. You two were made for each other. I may be crazy, but I think there's a decent chance that Dunn is more valuable than Howard this year.
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10) Justin Morneau - That concussion issue is still scary. I wouldn't blame someone if they were scared off of him because of it. I wouldn't count on him for a full 162, that's for sure, even though I believe his talent should still be intact.
11) Paul Konerko - Last year was as good as it gets. He won't repeat, but he should still be good.
12) Billy Butler - I think he continues to get better and finally puts up a fantastic all-around year. He's got enough talent to move up a tier if he really does move into his potential.

Runner-Up: Kendry Morales - He doesn't have to be super healthy to play first, and I like his abilities plenty as a hitter. Sign me up for 140+ games from him.
Honorable Mention: Brandon Belt - I'm a believer.