Today’s journey through the recaps take us to the 1st basemen. They’re better than the top 20 catchers for 2024 fantasy baseball (not clickbait at all), but by how much? How do I explain that? I have an idea! By recapping them! To recap my recap before the recap, this final ranking is from our Fantasy Baseball Player Rater with my comments. This is not for next year. Hayzeus Cristo, just enjoy a recap before we get into next year. Anyway, here’s the top 20 1st basemen for 2024 fantasy baseball and how they compared to where I originally ranked them:
1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – Had a great season. In a league of his own when it comes to 1st basemen. It’s basically him and a cliff to the next set of guys. Cake Batter was a top player. Not just a top 1st basemen. Can you feel a but coming? Well, if you know Cake Batter, you best believe a but is coming. He had a career high BABIP, which led to a great average. A great batting average is not exactly how I want my 1st baseman. Meh power, no speed and great counting stats with an amazing average? Um, yeah, 1st basemen were not great this year. Preseason Rank #7, 2024 Projections: 90/30/98/.272/5 in 607 ABs, Final Numbers: 98/30/103/.323/2 in 616 ABs
2. Bryce Harper – This whole position stinks. 1st basemen got old the last few years and no one has stepped up to fill the void. Sung like Simon & Garfunkel, “Where have you gone, Spencer Torkelson? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you because you were our supposed savior and, man, were we Ding Dong Merchants to think it.” So, in fairness to Bryce, he had very bad runs and RBIs luck, and all his stats look fine otherwise. Preseason Rank #1, 2024 Projections: 102/32/109/.286/13 in 505 ABs, Final Numbers: 85/30/87/.285/7 in 550 ABs
3. Josh Naylor – Will stop bagging on 1st baggers for a brief interlude to say I wrote a preseason sleeper post for Josh Naylor and you’re welcome. No, no, no! You are very welcome! Stop it! I don’t need congratulations! Oh, okay, fine. Give me my flowers. Now, if we’re being serious, Naylor actually did well for a depleted 1st basemen crew, but kinda disappointed in his own way. Baseball players are not athletes. I know this, but also: Naylor’s beginning to take on the shape of pear and I don’t know if that’s hurting his game, but his BABIP tanked and he did not look like a a solid average hitter anymore, as he had in seasons past. Preseason Rank #12, 2024 Projections: 79/26/102/.302/6 in 514 ABs, Final Numbers: 84/31/108/.243/6 in 563 ABs
4. Salvador Perez – Already went over him in the top 20 catchers.
5. Freddie Freeman – He’s already thrown his hat in the ring and he’s the nation’s favorite candidate to become next year’s Paul Goldschmidt. Much like with Jerry Tomato Realmuto, when the fall happens I will wait for the splat, and tell the laggards to ketchup. Take it Highlights! It’s yours! Preseason Rank #2, 2024 Projections: 114/25/95/.307/17 in 611 ABs, Final Numbers: 81/22/89/.282/9 in 542 ABs
6. Pete Alonso – Towards the end of the year I was listening to the Mets’ booth of Gary, Keith and Ron and I’m not sure which one said it, but they mentioned how Albombso hadn’t been scalding hot once all year, and it stood out to me, because, while I didn’t have Alonso anywhere this year, I had noticed my lack of Albombsos. Don’t think there’s a ton to take away from it. Looking at his numbers and he could easily have a huge bounce back next year, unless he goes to the Rockies for $400 million, where he’ll be projected for 55 HRs and end up with under five homers, while missing 135 games. Preseason Rank #4, 2024 Projections: 92/46/112/.251/3 in 591 ABs, Final Numbers: 91/34/88/.240/3 in 608 ABs
7. Matt Olson – His preseason rank being #3 and ending up here is doing such a disservice to how disappointing he was. Yes, it’s not that large of a gulf between his preseason rank and this, but the delta between his preseason projections and these end-of-the-year numbers are a Boeing flying over my fantasy team and losing a door and just sucking out all the good. The one good bit of news on Olson this year is he still plays every day. Actually, he turned that into bad news too. Him and Jake Burger had similar $/Game. Jhonkensy Noel was better per game than Olson. It’s Big Christmas and I got Matt Coal-son. Preseason Rank #3, 2024 Projections: 104/46/121/.271/1 in 602 ABs, Final Numbers: 78/29/98/.247 in 600 ABs
8. Spencer Steer – No idea what people are going to find when they examine the baseballs from this year, but my nonscientific, shooting-from-the-hip opinion is the baseball was soft this year. Seeing a lot of guys this year with solid speed, decent line drives, fine Hard Contact% and [raspberries lips for average]. It doesn’t really make sense. One guy can be unlucky, as Steer definitely was, but it feels like a larger, league-wide issue. That’s just my opinion presented to you as fact. Preseason Rank #10, 2024 Projections: 81/25/88/.266/17 in 571 ABs, Final Numbers: 74/20/92/.225/25 n 574 ABs
9. Alec Burleson – Speaking of 2nd half duds after being 1st half Dudes, Burleson was yet another. I’d like to blame someone else for his 2nd half decline though. He was cruising until Oli Marmol said, “Watch this,” and did the stupidest thing you’ve ever done and made Burleson a platoon player. I don’t care that he sucked vs. lefties. I want to blame Oli, so let me. Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers: 71/21/78/.269/9 in 547 ABs
10. Alec Bohm – This what it was like rostering Bohm: April, “Yeah, baby, Bohm, baby! He’s breaking out! Gonna hit at least 30 Bohm bombs, baby!!!” May, “Oh, I see it was just a hot April.” June, “OH ABSOLUTELY IT’S POWER HITTER BOHM NOW BABY!!!” Entire second half, “Nope, he sucks.” Preseason Rank #18, 2024 Projections: 83/22/91/.282/5 in 561 ABs, Final Numbers: 62/15/97/.280/5 in 554 ABs
11. Christian Walker – His 2nd half was actually worse than Bohm. What a disaster. You might remember 1st Half Grey saying stuff like, “Walker was such a steal in drafts!” Then 2nd Half Grey said, “I just picked up Big Christmas, ho ho ho.” Preseason Rank #9, 2024 Projections: 81/30/95/.251/7 in 576 ABs, Final Numbers: 72/26/84/.251/2 in 479 ABs
12. Cody Bellinger – Is he doing a Saberhagenmetrics thing or is he hurt again? It’s becoming impossible to know which narrative Cody is currently telling. He’s terrible in back-to-back years, then great and now terrible again? What do I do with that? Preseason Rank #6, 2024 Projections: 86/25/93/.284/19 in 507 ABs, Final Numbers: 72/18/78/.266/9 in 516 ABs
13. Vinnie Pasquantino – Ay yo, it’s Vinnie Pasketti! Where’s my fork and spoon I gotta twirl this guy up, ay yo, nah’mean? Pasketti is actually a good example of how awful 1st basemen were. His RBIs were fine, but his stats were incredibly mid and he ended up ranked this high. Sorry, is that anti-Italian discrimination? Preseason Rank #21, 2024 Projections: 71/26/84/.261/2 in 544 ABs, Final Numbers: 64/19/97/.262/1 in 496 ABs
14. Jake Burger – Empty power year is ranked this high in the top 20 1st basemen recap and you don’t think there’s a problem? You don’t think that’s an issue with offense? How dare you, made-up person in my head! How dare you not agree with me! Preseason Rank #18 for 3B, 2024 Projections: 71/32/83/.241 in 534 ABs, Final Numbers: 68/29/76/.250/1 in 535 ABs
15. Luis Arraez – Average is down everywhere, and Arraez rises. The tallest midget in the game, with apologies to Altuve. Preseason Rank #16, 2024 Projections: 74/8/62/.333/3 in 541 ABs, Final Numbers: 83/4/46/.314/9 in 637 ABs
16. Paul Goldschmidt – Was gonna say Au Shizz went to shizz this year, but at least he has the Hall of Fame to look forward to, and, then I looked at his career numbers and, well, I guess since they let Todd Helton in, Goldschmidt could get in. Kinda funny how the HOF refused entry into the best players in history, due to steroids, then lowered the standards on guys who they actually did let in. That’s just smart thinking! Preseason Rank #8, 2024 Projections: 88/27/94/.262/10 in 581 ABs, Final Numbers: 70/22/65/.245/11 in 599 ABs
17. Jake Cronenworth – For what it’s Cronenworth, his end-of-the-year stats shouldn’t have ranked him in the top 20 of catchers, let alone 1st basemen. There were some decent top years from hitters, but the bottom of the top 20 recaps are severely lacking. Cronenworth’s stats look like what we used to get from random part-time infielder in 2018. The 17th best 2nd basemen in 2018 was Chris Taylor, he went 85/17/63/.254/9 in 536 ABs. That was your 17th best 1st baseman this year. Preseason Rank #35, 2024 Projections: 63/15/71/.231/7 in 481 ABs, Final Numbers: 72/17/83/.241/5 in 577 ABs
18. Michael Busch – Love if this is the 1st step in his journey as a player. Launch, daddy, you deserve it. Take your game to a whole new place next year. Then I look at his numbers and I’m making the Larry David meh face. Looks like a poor man’s Bregman. Call him I’m Begging-you-man. Preseason Ranked #33 for 3B, 2024 Projections: 47/23/55/.235/3 in 412 ABs, Final Numbers: 73/21/65/.248/2 in 496 ABs
19. Rhys Hoskins – Placed a preseason bet on Rhys to lead the majors in homers and the Brewers to win the World Series (and Yelich to win the MVP and Jake Bauers to win Comeback Player of the Year and did my brain become a giant cheese curd?) So, clearly, I didn’t hit on any of them, but that was only because my bet that Rhys would be a top 20 1st baseman on the Razzball Player Rater caused three large men to drag me out of the casino. Rhys finished around 175th overall, and not a bad year overall, especially when you figure he missed games (30). Him or Burger with 100 more ABs? Meh, kinda the same, and Burger was the 14th best guy here. By the way, yes, the only Brewers’ preseason bet I didn’t make was on Chourio winning the ROY. I’m smart! Preseason Rank #26, 2024 Projections: 74/28/81/.237/3 in 514 ABs, Final Numbers: 59/26/82/.214/3 in 449 ABs
20. Connor Wong – Already went over him in the top 20 catchers.
