Mound Talk

Shaun’s First Base

Top tier

Pujols

Fielder

Howard

Morneau

Berkman

Teixeira

Overall, first base is quite a deep position in fantasy baseball. In a position that could boast three first round picks, production is quite deep and it could be safe to wait a few rounds to nab a 1B provided you are filling positions that are scarce. With that being said, there comes a point where you absolute cannot wait to take Pujols, Howard, or Fielder if for some reason they fall to you at the right location. Top tier is no nonsense pick for almost any format. If you league counts K’s keep in mind that Howard and Fielder might hurt you in that category and draft the rest of your team with K’s in mind. Also, keep in mind Berkman would also be a top tier OF and very well could be more valuable in a shallower pool of quality players

Mid Top

Hafner
D.Lee

Swisher

Gonzalez

The middle of the order boasts some impressive names that could certainly produce some top tier production. Lee will continue to benefit from a lineup with plentiful RBI opportunities but don’t expect his SB numbers to reemerge. Travis Hafner managed to play enough games to be eligible at 1B coming into the year. With his numbers last year, keep him on your radar if you fail to pick up a stud as he can be had much later then in previous years. Two other interesting players on the list are Gonzalez and Swisher. Swisher will certainly benefit from the move to US Cellular with a better lineup and provided his 07 splits which favor his road stats. He is a sleeper pick and will be selected significantly later than his production will warrant while also providing OF eligibility. Gonzalez absolutely crushed the ball on the road last year but his home park, Petco, will keep him from entering the echelon of the top tier.

Adequate

Pena

Konerko

Helton

Delgado

Kotchman
Loney

Jackson

LaRoche

On the adequate list, these players will generally either fill your hole at Utility or perhaps you missed out on one of the above on a 1B run. Carlos Pena is a definite fantasy trap this year. He will come down to earth significantly after a career year. While he will still put up some decent numbers, avoid him and let someone else take him far too early for comfort. Loney and Kotchman might be two guys to take a late round fliers on. Kotchman had an adequate first season while Loney has capitalized on his playing time last year with the Dodgers, putting up nice numbers.

Do not touch

Young

Huff

Sexson

Wilkerson

For one reason or another, these are the players I prefer to stay away from at all costs.