The Top 10: First Basemen

Welcome back to the second installment of Garden State Sports Guy's Top 10 lists of Major League Baseball players. In the first list as you saw I went over the starting pitchers in the league. Now today we will be going across the diamond, 90 feet to the right to those who patrol first base. There are several top-tier players in the league now that play this position so needless to say this was an extremely tough list to make. But, I feel like it was good enough to get by and again, like last time, if I piss you off while reading this, I'm doing my job.

The "Great" ... but not Great:

Unlike starting pitching, there's only relatively 32 options that go here, give or take. So by no means am I calling the following players "great."Don't be mistaken. These are just players who either missed the cut, or have too small of a sample size in my opinion to judge. I'm just trying to be consistent with my titles. Given that there are a lot of young and promising first basemen in MLB right now, they could find their way toward actually "deserving" this peg. So in no particular order, here they are:

• Eric Hosmer (Note: I REALLY like "The Wizard of Hos," and expect him not to have a downtrodden sophomore slump. He's my player to watch this season on a Kansas City team that's getting ready to own the AL very, very soon)
• Brandon Belt
• Adam Lind 
• Michael Morse

And that's really it. I may be forgetting a few people, but if I did that probably just means they weren't up to par. 

Honorable Mentions:

Carlos Pena: To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure if Carlos Pena really belongs in the honorable mentions section. But when you look at 1st basemen in the league today, they're either too young, have too small of a sample size, or aren't as good as the players in the Top 10. Frankly, Pena's body of work is solid enough to get him this notion. A year ago I probably wouldn't have said that after his horrid 2010, but he rebounded nicely for the Cubs. He returns this year to the Rays, so just don't repeat 2010 and make me look stupid, Carlos.
2011 Season: .225/.357/.462, .354 wOBA, 28 HR, 80 RBI, 72 R, 111 H
My 2012 Projection: .230/.355/.469, .353 wOBA, 33 HR, 86 RBI, 76 R, 119 H

Freddie Freeman: You might be hearing a lot of hype surrounding the Royals' Eric Hosmer (and for good reason, because he's probably going to turn into a very, very good player if he keeps on his track). You may NOT be hearing as much around Freddie Freeman, but you should be. He came into the league last year and put up very, very similar numbers according to Fangraphs.com. Freeman's fantastic second half last year (and being really the only offensive player that was giving a damn during the Braves' collapse) gives him the nod here.
2011 Season: .282/.346/.448, .345 wOBA, 21 HR, 76 RBI, 67 R, 161 H
My 2012 Projection: .289/.352/.460, .352 wOBA, 22 HR, 85 RBI, 79 R, 159 H


The Top 10:

10. Gaby Sanchez: Much like Freeman and Pena before him, among the others, the 10th position on this list is really interchangeable. I decided to go with Sanchez because even though his average has been fairly mediocre, his OBP has always been solid since he got into the league in 2008. His defense is also top notich, only recording 5 errors on the season even despite the fact that before last season he did not record a single error at first base. Hey, defense is pretty important too, y'know. But again, interchangeable, but Sanchez is my preference.
2011 Season: .266/.352/.427, .342 wOBA, 19 HR, 78 RBI, 72 R, 152 H
My 2012 Projection: .276/.358/.453, .350 wOBA, 21 HR, 80 RBI, 75 R, 151 H

9. Justin Morneau: The 2006 AL Most Valuable Player award winner checks in at #9 on this list. Given the last couple of years and his injuries and lack of production he is steadily falling down. Once one of the best in the league, Morneau has suffered horrible turns the last 3 years. He was absent from the Twins' run in 2009 after a stress fracture, in 2010 he suffered a concussion and dealt with post-concussion syndrome thereafter missing all of the season, and recorded career-lows and missed a lot of time in 2011. Here's to hoping he bounces back.
2011 Season: .227/.285/.333, .274 wOBA, 18 HR, 56 RBI, 53 R, 60 H
My 2012 Projection: .270/.360/.440, .365 wOBA, 17 HR, 70 RBI, 65 R, 115 H

8. Lance Berkman: When the St. Louis Cardinals signed Lance Berkman last year many questioned whether or not Puma had anything left in the tank. Puma then answered those critics with an incredible bounce-back year that won him Comeback Player of the Year honors in the National League and was an MVP candidate at one time during the season. This season Berkman is going to need to have another stellar season because of the void left at 1st base in the offseason by... do I really even need to say it?
2011 Season: .301/.412/.547, .402 wOBA, 31 HR, 94 RBI, 90 R, 147 H
My 2012 Projection: .285/.392/.486, .383 wOBA, 26 HR, 90 RBI, 81 R, 136 H

7. Ryan Howard: The sensational slugger for the Philadelphia Phillies checks in here on this Top 10. You would find it hard-pressed to put a guy who has had six consecutive seasons with 30+ HR and no less than 108 RBI, but his average and strikeout rate are too poor to be ignored. Howard has racked up 7 straight seasons of 100+ K, the last 6 over 157. Horrendous. And as if it could get any worse for Howard, he tore his achilles tendon in Game 5 of the NLDS last year. All eyes will be watching 1st base this year, for sure.
2011 Season: .253/.346/.488, .354 wOBA, 33 HR, 116 RBI, 81 R, 141 H
My 2012 Projection: .258/.350/.489, .370 wOBA, 31 HR, 107 RBI, 86 R, 140 H

6. Paul Konerko: With Mark Buehrle now donning the Miami Marlins' uniform, it's no secret now who is the face of the Chicago White Sox franchise. No, no it's not Alex Rios or Kosuke Fukodome. Nor is it Adam Dunn or ALEXEIIIIIIIIIIIIII. It's Paul Konerko. This 35-year old veteran continually is cranking out great seasons especially his 2010 season where he was a legitimate AL MVP candidate. In other words, it doesn't matter the age because Paul Konerko is still a top-flight first baseman in Major League Baseball.
2011 Season: .300/.388/.517, .383 wOBA, 31 HR, 105 RBI, 69 R, 163 H
My 2012 Projection: .287/.370/.492, .370 wOBA, 30 HR, 100 RBI, 75 R, 150 H

5. Mark Teixeira: Mark Teixeira joined the New York Yankees in 2009 during their free-agent spending spree that helped them win the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, and Tex has helped the Yankees' stay as one of the premier offenses in all of Major League Baseball. His above-average fielding has been a breath of fresh air for Yankees fans who had to suffer through Jason Giambi for seven seasons. Tex still however can't seem to get things together for a whole season and under the microscope, his abilities may be falling off.
2011 Season: .248/.341/.494, .361 wOBA, 39 HR, 111 RBI, 90 R, 146 H
My 2012 Projection: .262/.360/.500, .380 wOBA, 37 HR, 120 RBI, 95 R, 167 H

4. Adrian Gonzalez: A-Gone has been one of the best first baseman in the league for the last several seasons even while playing out on the west coast for the San Diego Padres. Last year Gonzalez joined the Boston Red Sox and delivered the kind of season he was supposed to deliver. The runner up for the batting title should continue his success in 2012 for Beantown and be exactly the player that they traded for. And as long as he does that he'll remain as a perennial candidate for the American League MVP.
2011 Season: .338/.410/.548, .406 wOBA, 27 HR, 117 RBI, 107 R, 213 H
My 2012 Projection: .305/.389/.505, .380 wOBA, 31 HR, 106 RBI, 105 R, 190 H

3. Prince Fielder: Probably the biggest cou of the 2011 offseason was the acquisition of Prince Fielder by the Detroit Tigers. Already boasting a Top-3 1st Baseman, the Tigers got even better with the acquisition of this man. Prince pulverized in his tenure in Milwaukee and even with as good as he has been, the scary thing is he is only 27 years old. Fielder has all the tools, skills, and talent in the world to one day be the best 1st baseman in the league. Well, except for his fielding, which is still pretty suspect given his size. Either way, Prince is a beast.
2011 Season: .299/.415/.566, .408 wOBA, 38 HR, 120 RBI, 95 R, 170 H
My 2012 Projection: .287/.400/.548, .392 wOBA, 40 HR, 107 RBI, 101 R, 160 H

2. Joey Votto: The 2010 National League Most Valuable Player award checks in as the runner up in this Top 10. And that's not a diss at all. The Votto-mobile may be getting a new coat of paint next year (personally thinking blue) but Cincinnati will enjoy him for at least one more season. Votto has put up the kinds of numbers the last 2-3 seasons that have made me consider putting him at #1, but perhaps another stellar season from The Queen City's 1st baseman may make me definitively call him the best 1st baseman in all of baseball.
2011 Season: .309/.416/.531, .403 wOBA, 29 HR, 103 RBI, 101 R, 185 H
My 2012 Projection: .315/.416/.540, .409 wOBA, 32 HR, 107 RBI, 113 R, 180 H

1. Albert Pujols: Who were you expecting? Kendrys Morales? Craig Wilson? Brett Wallace? Nah, there's no question about it: Albert Pujols is still the best 1st baseman in the league and perhaps the best player of our era. That's why it was such a huge deal when he went to Anaheim in free agency this year, leaving the St. Louis Cardinals, the team he had been with for his entire career. Whatever doubt that might arise around him transitioning from the NL to the AL should most likely be eradicated early. Albert' legit and is still the best that MLB has to offer.
2011 Season: .299/.366/.541, .385 wOBA, 37 HR, 99 RBI, 105 R, 173 H
My 2012 Projection: .315/.406/.590, .420 wOBA, 36 HR, 120 RBI, 184 H