Top 10 first basemen in mlb
First base is traditionally home to baseball’s premier power hitters. Defense is given less consideration at first than it is in other positions. As a result, it’s often a late-career home for elite hitters, as was the case with Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, and others.
In recent years, Bryce Harper has made the transition from corner outfielder to first basemen, further strengthening a stacked class. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. quickly became a first baseman after spending time at third, while Cody Bellinger has switched between patrolling the outfield and donning the big mitt.
Here are the 10 best first basemen in Major League Baseball in 2025:
1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
He might be third in wRC+ since the start of 2023, but Vladimir Guerrero is the best overall first baseman in baseball when looking ahead to the 2025 season. Guerrero had a 1.127 OPS after the All-Star break in 2024, leading to the best fWAR and wRC+ projections among first basemen.
The combination of contact, plate discipline, power, and bat speed make Guerrero a candidate to win the Triple Crown. He’s a lifelong Toronto Blue Jay after signing the second-largest contract in MLB history, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him win multiple MVP awards before he hangs up his cleats.
In the 98th percentile in xwOBA in 2024, only a handful of hitters can claim to be more effective than the Jays superstar.
2. Freddie Freeman
Freddie Freeman has 2.9 fWAR more than any other first baseman over the last two-plus seasons. His 152 wRC+ is also the best at the position. Into his mid-30s and posting a 143 OPS+ in 2024, though, Freeman is likely beginning to decline.
While he remains a tremendous contact hitter with an excellent eye, Freeman’s low bat speed caps his power. There are signs of decline as a defender, too.
Freeman has been the best first baseman of the 2020s, yet if we’re looking to the year ahead, he’s narrowly beaten by Guerrero.
3. Bryce Harper
Since winning his second MVP in 2021, Bryce Harper hasn’t posted an OPS+ above 148. These are still elite numbers, but injuries have begun to reduce Harper’s playing time and he’s a few seasons removed from producing like a top-three MVP candidate.
An excellent defender at first, Harper still has one of the highest walk rates in the majors. His bat speed is slowly declining, though, and his underlying numbers aren’t quite at the level of Guerrero, despite plenty of dark red on his Baseball Savant page.
4. Christian Walker
Only three first baseman have hit more home runs than Christian Walker across the last two seasons. He’s arguably the best defensive first baseman in the majors and has maintained an elite bat speed into his mid-30s.
Having won three consecutive Gold Gloves, Walker has also been a steadily above-average hitter. Where other first basemen have fluctuated dramatically from year-to-year, Walker has been between 121 and 125 OPS+ in each of the last three seasons. He’s set for a big year at Daikin Park.
5. Matt Olson
Matt Olson might have been in the top spot heading into 2024. A down year, including a .714 OPS in the first half, has changed the perception of Olson.
While there was some batted-ball misfortune for the lefty slugger, there was also a considerable decrease in his numbers across the board, including a markedly slower bat speed and a drop in his walk rate.
The .993 OPS in 2023 is likely to be Olson’s career year. At 31 years old, he’s got time to get back to a .900 OPS, but he needs to show us he’s capable of sustaining that for a full year.
6. Pete Alonso
Despite hitting 85 homers since the start of 2023, Pete Alonso is only sixth in wrC+. Alonso has been a subpar defender for most of his career, while striking out more often than most of the players ranked above him.
Since hitting 53 homers as a rookie, Alonso hasn’t had a season with an OPS above .869. His walk rate is good, but nothing spectacular considering the amount of swing-and-miss in his approach.
The power means he’s got the upside to have an MVP-contending season, but Alonso is a bit too flawed to break into the top five in these rankings.
7. Josh Naylor
Playing in Cleveland tends to lead to players being underrated. Josh Naylor falls into that category. Now a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Naylor is unlikely to garner much more national attention, but that doesn’t detract from his production at the plate.
Projections don’t love Naylor for 2025. His track record speaks for itself, though, with the sixth-best wRC+ since the start of 2023 among players who are playing first base this season.
While his walk rate is lower than many of his peers, Naylor also rarely strikes out, and hits for sufficient power without threatening for the league lead in big flies.
8. Spencer Horwitz
Injury has delayed the start to Spencer Horwitz’s 2025 regular season. The main offensive acquisition for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the offseason, Horwitz has a 122 OPS+ and projects to play most of his time at first base in the Steel City.
The blueprint is plenty of walks, few strikeouts, and making solid contact. He’s not going to break any exit-velocity records, but Horwitz is still capable of producing an OPS north of .800.
9. Michael Busch
ZiPS projects Michael Busch to have the ninth-most fWAR among first basemen despite considerable negative value on defense. Busch has a great eye and a considerable improvement in his barrel rate from 2023 to 2024 gives reason for optimism.
After initially struggling against big-league fastballs, the Chicago Cubs first baseman appears to have caught up. There’s power upside to get him towards the 30-homer landmark if he puts it all together, plus he’s got decent bat-to-ball skills as was demonstrated with his .270 expected batting average last year.
10. Jonathan Aranda
Used in a variety of positions across his first few years in the majors, Jonathan Aranda has settled in as the everyday first baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays. ZiPS projects Aranda for a 122 wRC+ in 2025 after posting a career best xwOBA in 2024.
Entering the season with a 97 OPS+, it wouldn’t have been reasonable to put him any higher than 10th in this list, but there’s a possibility he breaks into the top five before the end of the year. He’s started the season on an absolute tear.
If you enjoyed this, you might want to check out these articles too:
Top 10 Starting Pitchers in MLB
Straight Division Betting Tips
Ranking 10 Best MLB Players for 2025
MLB Power Rankings – Late April
MLB Rankings – Bleacher Report
Best Storylines Currently in Baseball
College Baseball Midseason Report
