It’s been a while since we’ve updated our first basemen rankings, and there is one major change…Joey Votto. He just continues to rake and now finds himself among the top five in the league.

Will he be able to maintain that mark? There are some concerns, so that’ll be a question for the offseason, but for now, he is looking like a potential first round pick next season.

Let’s take a look at how things currently look (remember, these remain extremely early rankings and will likely significantly change as the season progresses and when our projections are completed in the offseason):

  1. Albert Pujols – St. Louis Cardinals
  2. Miguel Cabrera – Detroit Tigers
  3. Mark Teixeira – New York Yankees
  4. Joey Votto – Cincinnati Reds
  5. Ryan Howard – Philadelphia Phillies
  6. Prince Fielder – Milwaukee Brewers
  7. Adrian Gonzalez – San Diego Padres
  8. Justin Morneau – Minnesota Twins
  9. Kendry Morales – Los Angeles Angels
  10. Kevin Youkilis – Boston Red Sox
  11. Adam Dunn – Washington Nationals
  12. Billy Butler – Kansas City Royals
  13. Paul Konerko – Chicago White Sox
  14. Adam LaRoche – Arizona Diamondbacks
  15. Gaby Sanchez – Florida Marlins

Thoughts:

  • It’s amazing, isn’t it? How long did we hear about this being a “down” year for Albert Pujols? Now we find him challenging for the Triple Crown. He truly is the best hitter in the game.
  • I know Teixeira’s numbers are down, but it simply took him longer than normal to get out of the gate. He still has 28 HR, 91 RBI, and 90 R, with the potential to post significantly better numbers than that in 2011.
  • It’s simply impossible to not be a believer in Votto at this point. Not only is he hitting .326 with 31 HR, 90 RBI, and 90 R, but he has also chipped in 11 SB. The only other top first baseman with double-digit stolen bases? Of course, it’s Mr. Pujols. That certainly helps to give him an edge over the field. The average may be slightly inflated (he’s carrying a .361 BABIP), but that’s hardly enough to downgrade. While some may want to point to the 27.0 percent HR/FB, the fly balls themselves are down (33.7 percent). He may not quite match these overall numbers (we’ll certainly go into more details this offseason), but he has emerged as a Top Five First Baseman for now.
  • Adrian Gonzalez’ full value will be determined by where he ends up for 2011. If he were to move from San Diego, his value could increase.
  • I’m still a believer in Billy Butler, but he has just 11 HR this season. Until he starts hitting for more power, he’s a low-end starting 1B, at best, outside of AL-only formats.
  • I did not include Buster Posey or Victor Martinez on this list, though both will have eligibility in 2011. The truth is that their value is much greater at catcher. It’s possible they slip in this offseason once the projections are done, but clearly, you’d be better off getting the advantage of them catching.
  • Other candidates for the low end of the rankings include Derrek Lee, Lance Berkman, Carlos Pena, Aubrey Huff, Ike Davis, and Garrett Jones. Clearly, it continues to be an extremely deep position.

What are your thoughts on these rankings? Who is being overvalued? Who is being undervalued?

Make sure to check out our extremely early 2011 rankings:

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