MLB Rankings: The Top Ten First Basemen for the 2025 Season

My rankings refer to statistics and data that can be found on Baseball Reference, Baseball Savant, and FanGraphs.

Compared to catchers, first basemen have it much easier. Only one thing really matters for first basemen: hitting. It’s nice when a first baseman can field and make difficult scoops look routine, but if they are not a good hitter, then it doesn’t matter. Yet, a first baseman can’t just hit for average and get on base. They are a go-to source for a team’s slugging. They are the guys that can hit 30 home runs in any given season. With that said, here are the top ten first basemen for 2025.

10: Mark Vientos, New York Mets

It was tough to decide between Vientos and Rays’ first baseman Yandy Diaz, who was in the top ten last year. Because of his age and profile, Vientos got the nod over Diaz. Vientos spent much of his time at third base in 2024, but his defensive shortcomings leave him much more suited for first base. Fortunately, his bat is a must-have in any lineup. He’s a legit power hitter that had a .266/.322/.516 slash line, 27 home runs, and a 135 OPS+ last season. With those numbers, Vientos would have ranked among the best first basemen last season. What prevents him from ranking higher is the lack of a proven track record and an alarming strikeout rate (29.7%).

9: Triston Casas, Boston Red Sox

Casas, a relatively unproven player, had a spot in last year’s first basemen rankings. It looked like it’d be the right decision at the start of the season. Casas had an .857 OPS through the first month last year. Unfortunately, he suffered a serious rib injury that caused him to miss the majority of the season. He would return in August and finish the year with 13 home runs and a 120 OPS+ in 63 games. Despite the injury, there are reasons to remain optimistic for Casas. He highlighted his potential as an elite power hitter with a 13.3% barrel rate, high-end bat speed (74.6 mph), and a 12.3% walk rate. He will also continue to play in one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in baseball, Fenway Park. With his name in trade rumors throughout this offseason, Casas looks to prove himself this season.

8: Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City Royals

Looking at Pasquantino’s numbers from last season, you might be surprised that he earned a spot on this list. That’s understandable. A top ten first baseman should have more than 19 home runs and a 111 OPS+. How could he have a higher ranking than Vientos and Casas? His approach and contact quality are good reasons that he will have more success in 2025 than he did in 2024. Last season, he was able to hit the ball hard with a 91 mph average exit velocity and 46.5% hard-hit rate. He was great at elevating the baseball with an average launch angle of 14.6° and 42.9% flyball rate. He also rarely whiffs and strikes out compared to other power hitters, like Casas and Vientos. Pasquantino is due for a breakout season.

7: Willson Contreras, St. Louis Cardinals

After spending his career as a catcher, Contreras is moving to first base after the Cardinals let Paul Goldschmidt walk in free agency. While Contreras is a viable backstop, his bat is his most valuable asset, so it’s better that he plays a less demanding position like first base. He was also one of the Cardinals’ best hitters last season, leading the team with a 136 OPS+ and .468 slugging percentage. His 12.6% walk rate finished second on the team. Even at 32 years old, Contreras still has real power potential. He had a 91.6 mph average exit velocity, 11.2% barrel rate, and 14.2° average launch angle last. Age remains a concern, but until otherwise, Contreras is a top ten hitter at his position.

6: Christian Walker, Houston Astros

Walker revived his career in Arizona, becoming one of the best first basemen in MLB over the past three seasons. Since 2022, Walker ranks among the top ten first basemen in home runs (95), OPS+ (123), extra-base hits (186), and fWAR (10.8). While defense is not a huge factor in these rankings, Walker is an elite defender with 57 OAA throughout his career. Despite being 34 years old this season, Walker should continue to succeed in Houston. Daikin Park is incredibly friendly to right-handed hitters that can pull flyballs. Walker had a flyball rate of 46.9% last season, while pulling 42.1% of the time. If his contact quality deteriorates, he could still be a productive hitter.

5: Pete Alonso, Free Agent

While Alonso is yet to sign with a team, it won’t harm his ranking this season. After all, he is one of the premier home run hitters in the league. Since his rookie year in 2019, he’s hit 226 home runs with a .514 slugging percentage and 1,615 total bases. Only three other players (Mark Teixeira, Albert Pujols, and Ryan Braun) have similar marks through the first six seasons of their career since the Expansion Era (1961). Toronto has emerged as a likely landing spot for Alonso. Alonso could benefit in Toronto because their ballpark is more hitter-friendly than Citi Field, but he has the ability to hit 30 home runs anywhere. With high-end bat speed at 75.3 mph, a 13.2% barrel rate, and a career 43.7% flyball rate, Alonso’s power translates to wherever he signs. Ideally, he can also improve his production back to his 2022 form.

4: Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves

Compared to his 2023 season, 2024 was disappointing for Olson. To be fair, he did set an incredibly high bar in 2023 with 54 home runs, a 164 OPS+, and MVP votes. His 54 home runs were the most in a single season by a first baseman over the past decade. He regressed to 29 home runs and a 118 OPS+ last season. This has been the story of Olson’s career; he’s fluctuated between being an elite hitter and just a good hitter from year-to-year. If he continues this trend, then 2025 should be a return to elite form. While he swung at more pitches out of the zone and experienced a slight decline in contact quality last season, there is no real reason to worry about his future outlook.

3: Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers

It hurts to not rank Freeman as the best first baseman. He only has one legitimate concern: his age. Freeman will be 35 this season, which is older than the two first basemen ranked ahead of him. Otherwise, he is a near-perfect hitter. He doesn’t crush the ball, but he hits it hard enough while rarely striking out, consistently hitting the ball in the air, and frequently getting on base. Since his rookie year in 2011, he is one of six players to have multiple seasons with an elite .300/.400/.500 slash line (at least 150 games played during the season). Hopefully, there is at least one more elite year from Freeman.

2: Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies

In his first full season as a first baseman, Harper was phenomenal. He was second in fWAR at the position after finishing the year with 30 home runs, a 149 OPS+, and noteworthy defense. He continued making hard contact, worked plenty of walks (12% walk rate), and even improved his swinging strike rate from 2023 (16% to 13.1%). Set to be 32 years old this season, Harper will continue to build upon his Hall of Fame resumé. He is currently one of 11 active players with over 300 home runs and 1,500 hits, and he still has plenty of time to reach the next set of milestones at 400 home runs and 2,000 hits.

1: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays

After two underwhelming seasons in 2022 and 2023, Guerrero Jr. rediscovered his form as one of the best hitters in baseball. To the dismay of many skeptics, he was the most valuable first baseman last season with 5.5 fWAR, 30 home runs, and a 166 OPS+. Since the start of the Integration Era (1947), he is one of four first basemen to have multiple seasons (min. 150 games during the season) with at least a 160 OPS+ before turning 26. What’s most encouraging is that he reemerged as a top power hitter, drastically improving his slugging percentage from .444 in 2023 to .544 in 2024. This coincided with an improved barrel rate, hard-hit rate, and sweet-spot percentage. He will be a free agent after the season, so the top first baseman is due for a big payday.