The Dynasty Guru Annual Ranking Season is upon us!  Up next, first base!  The rankings presented here are the composite rankings of all the writers at The Dynasty Guru, and after healthy debate and only a little name-calling, we are ready to share them with you. The comments below each tier are the work of the writer cited at the end of the section.  Don’t forget to check out Chris and Drew’s analysis of each position on the Join the Ranks podcast.

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When you think of dynasty rankings for first baseman, there are two names that pop up this offseason for the king of the position. Only one, yes one, should have that designation though and it has to be Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in my opinion. We will get to Nick Kurtz shortly, but ultimately the debate between the two should end on this: Who just had one of the greatest postseasons in major league history? It can get much more detailed and way deeper than that, but seriously, if I am taking one first baseman it has to be that player, especially when he is still just 26-years-old. Guerrero Jr. over 18 games destroyed pitchers to the tune of .397/.494/.795, with an OPS of 1.289, 8 home runs, and five doubles. That was a 72 home run pace against the best pitchers in baseball. This, after hitting .292/.381/.467 during the season. He is the best of the best at the position for me. If he can play like he did in the playoffs over a full season, we are talking about peak Aaron Judge potential, watch out.

Kurtz is number two on this list and around the industry he has been touted as number one a lot, but for everything he did great last year he was the worst contact hitter in baseball and his stats were fueled by a launching pad of a minor league ballpark. To add to this, he struck out 31% of the time and his splits were very bad against left handed pitching. The numbers against lefties were bordering close to a platoon level if he continues to have wRC+ stats of 83, like he did in 2025. He is very young, so he can improve and become the number one staple at the position with big seasons like his rookie year. With the question marks though, there are too many unknowns to be the top man at the position.

Pete Alonso remains one of the better first baseman in terms of power production. 2025 saw him hit .274/.347/.524, with 36 home runs. He is pretty much a lock every year to hit 35+ long balls, drive in 100+ runs, along with providing enough in the batting average and OBP categories to be toward the top of this tier. The batting average and OBP just are not consistent enough to get into the top two here, but any given year could see him as one of the best first baseman for fantasy leagues.

Rafael Devers might be a surprise at number four in this tier, but he came on strong in the second half and put up career highs with a .372 OBP, as well as a 15.6% walk rate. This, coupled with at least 35 home runs again for a second straight season, makes Devers just as consistent in San Francisco as he was in Boston. If you need a first baseman and can’t get one of the top three, Devers is a great backup option.

The next two first baseman are the old guard of the position it seems now, Bryce Harper and Matt Olson. Harper in 2025 hit .261/.357/.487, with 27 home runs, and 12 stolen bases. He is getting older at 33-years-old now, but he continues to put up top tier numbers when healthy. The biggest negative in his profile last year ended up being an increase in the swing and miss he saw with his bat. He had a 13th percentile whiff rate and a 11th percentile chase rate. If you are looking for steady and consistent numbers from a top tier first baseman while not paying as big of a cost, Harper is your man.

Olson is basically Harper without the consistent batting average year-to-year and that held true in 2025. He hit .272/.366/.484 and added 29 home runs. He is basically the older version of Nick Kurtz when looking at the underlying statcast numbers. He hits the ball hard and in the air, but the strikeout numbers can be big at times and drop his batting average. If you want a discounted, older version of Kurtz, Olson is one of the better options.

Josh Naylor is an enigma and maybe the first baseman in this tier I would want to avoid. He came in at number eight on our list, but he likely got a boost for being a great hit-tool first baseman who added a bunch of steals. Unfortunately, for dynasty owners and Mariners fans, those might regress in 2026. 2025 saw him hit .295/.353/.462, adding 20 home runs, and swiping an eye opening 30 bases. Those 30 bags were a huge help to fantasy players, but that is coming from a hitter who had a third percentile sprint speed. He likely was catching teams off guard and with an offseason to target what he was doing, pitchers won’t be as easy to swipe a bag off of as this past season. Still, he is a really good hitter though and a solid value at the bottom of this top tier.

Vinnie Pasquantino is number nine on this list and he might have a case to be higher up. He isn’t as high as some of the other first baseman in batting average and OBP, but he did manage to hit .264/.323/.475 with 32 home runs in 2025. With Kansas City bringing in the fences, his power numbers could take another leap and put him up to the middle point of this top tier. He walks a good amount as well, so with his pull happy approach, a big 2026 might be in store.

Ben Rice rounds out our top ten first baseman who have all had extended looks in the big leagues. He hit .255/.337/.499 in his second major league season and launched 26 home runs. His statcast Baseball Savant page is blood red and many expect his numbers to improve as a result. Basically, he is the poster child for the results being solid, but they should be much better given the underlying data. He hits the ball hard, often in the air, and he doesn’t strike out a lot. 2026 could be a big year for him, if he puts it all together. Like many later on this list, his left handed platoon splits aren’t great and might be what holds him back from moving up higher in the rankings. Time will only tell.

The player with the least amount of experience in this tier comes in at number seven, Samuel Basallo. It is a lofty ranking for someone with only 109 major league at-bats. At 21-years-old, he has elite bat speed, but does have a good bit of swing and miss issues at this early stage. His raw power/in-game power and age are big reasons why he is up in this tier. Few prospects contain the potential he has and he is already in the major leagues getting a crack at big league pitching. Expect some bumps in 2026, but if he pulls off a Nick Kurtz-like leap, I wouldn’t be surprised.

(Daniel Labude)