Ranking the Top 25 First Basemen of the 2024 MLB Season

It's time to put a bow on the 2024 MLB season with Bleacher Report's final positional rankings of the year.

Throughout the 2024 campaign, we released monthly updates to our position-by-position rankings, selecting the top 10 players at each spot. Now it's time to finalize that exercise while expanding the list to the 25 best at each position.

Just like the regular-season rankings, past production and future expectations played no part in deciding the order—this is simply a rundown of the best and brightest of 2024.

There were no specific qualifications for inclusion, though each player was only eligible to appear in these rankings at one position.

Now let's dive into the top 25 first basemen of the 2024 season.

Catch up on the Top 25 in 2024 series: Second Basemen, Shortstops

These first basemen received preliminary consideration but fell short of earning a spot in the Top 25:

Jonathan Aranda, TB
Jake Bauers, MIL
Josh Bell, MIA/ARI
Jonah Bride, MIA
Mark Canha, DET/SF
Ty France, SEA/CIN
Joey Gallo, WAS
Connor Joe, PIT
Anthony Rizzo, NYY
Dominic Smith, BOS/CIN
Tyler Soderstrom, OAK
Rowdy Tellez, PIT
Spencer Torkelson, DET
Juan Yepez, WAS

25. Jon Singleton, Houston Astros

A decade after becoming the first player ever to sign an extension before making his MLB debut, Singleton found himself back manning first base for the Astros after José Abreu lost his hold on the starting job. The 33-year-old did an admirable job holding down the fort, hitting .234/.321/.386 for a 103 OPS+ with 13 doubles, 13 home runs and 42 RBI in 405 plate appearances.

24. Rhys Hoskins, Milwaukee Brewers

A torn ACL cost Hoskins the entire 2023 season, which also happened to be a contract year, and he inked a two-year, $34 million deal with the Brewers during the offseason. A perennial 30-homer threat during his time in Philadelphia, he provided some pop with 26 home runs and 82 RBI, but he hit just .214/.303/.419 for a 98 OPS+ and tallied minus-0.2 WAR in 131 games.

23. Andrew Vaughn, Chicago White Sox

Vaughn led a 121-loss White Sox team in hits (140), doubles (30), RBI (70), runs scored (55) and total bases (229) while hitting .246/.297/.402 for a 99 OPS+ and slugging 19 home runs. The 26-year-old was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 draft, and he could be a prime change-of-scenery candidate this winter.

22. Nolan Schanuel, Los Angeles Angels

The Angels selected Schanuel with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2023 draft, and roughly six weeks later he made his MLB debut. He showed enough potential in his debut to stake claim to the starting first base job, and he hit .250/.343/.362 for a 101 OPS+ with 19 doubles, 13 home runs, 54 RBI and 1.3 WAR over 147 games in his first full season in the majors.

21. Triston Casas, Boston Red Sox

Casas was a popular breakout pick heading into 2024 following a terrific second half to his rookie season, but he missed 98 games with torn cartilage in his rib cage. The 24-year-old posted a 120 OPS+ with 13 home runs and 32 RBI in the 63 games he did play, and he has the talent to be a Top 10 player on this list in 2025.

20. Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals

Goldschmidt failed to post a 100 OPS+ for the first time in his career in 2024, batting .245/.302/.414 for a 98 OPS+ with 33 doubles, 22 home runs and 65 RBI in a 1.3-WAR season. The 37-year-old is now a free agent and set to move on from a Cardinals team entering a retooling phase, and while his surface-level numbers weren't great, his batted-ball data provides some optimism he could bounce back.

19. Jake Burger, Miami Marlins

Burger had a long-awaited breakout season in 2023, slugging 34 home runs in a season split between the White Sox and Marlins six years after he was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2017 draft out of Missouri State. The 28-year-old posted a 103 OPS+ and led Miami in hits (134), home runs (29) and RBI (76) while shifting off third base and playing almost exclusively first base and DH during the second half.

18. Michael Toglia, Colorado Rockies

Toglia hit .187/.246/.325 with a 34.6 percent strikeout rate in 272 plate appearances during his first two seasons in the majors, but he quietly enjoyed a breakout season in 2024. The 26-year-old posted a 105 OPS+ with 14 doubles, 25 home runs and 55 RBI in 116 games, finishing fourth in the Rockies roster with 2.2 WAR.

17. LaMonte Wade Jr., San Francisco Giants

While he lacks prototypical power for a first baseman, Wade has developed into an elite on-base threat, hitting .260/.380/.381 for a 121 OPS+ with 24 extra-base hits in 401 plate appearances in 2024. The 30-year-old is entering a contract year and provides some additional value with his ability to also play a corner outfield spot.

16. Ryan O'Hearn, Baltimore Orioles

O'Hearn enjoyed a career renaissance after joining the Orioles in 2023, and he backed up his breakout performance by posting a 122 OPS+ with 21 doubles, 15 home runs and 59 RBI in a career-high 494 plate appearances. The 31-year-old was used almost exclusively as a platoon player, tallying just 44 plate appearances against southpaws.

15. Jake Cronenworth, San Diego Padres

The Padres ended the year with Luis Arraez at first base and Xander Bogaerts at shortstop, leaving Cronenworth as the primary second baseman, but he played more innings at first base (715.1 INN) than second base (578.0 INN) on the year. The two-time All-Star hit .241/.324/.390 with 29 doubles, 17 home runs and 83 RBI over 155 games in a 2.0-WAR season.

14. Yandy Díaz, Tampa Bay Rays

Díaz started the All-Star Game and won the AL batting title when he hit .330 in a 5.2-WAR season in 2023, but took a step backward in a disappointing overall season for the Rays. The 33-year-old still batted .281/.341/.414 for a 116 OPS+ with 31 doubles, 14 home runs, 65 RBI in 145 games, and he is a candidate to be traded this winter.

13. Ryan Mountcastle, Baltimore Orioles

Mountcastle provided his usual middle-of-the-order production, hitting .271/.308/.425 for a 113 OPS+ with 30 doubles, 13 home runs, 63 RBI and a career-high 2.6 WAR in 124 games. The 27-year-old was also an AL Gold Glove finalist, and it will be interesting to see if he is on the move this winter after seeing his name come up in rumors at the deadline.

12. Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City Royals

Pasquantino missed the entire month of September with a broken right thumb, but he still posted a 111 OPS+ with 30 doubles, 19 home runs and 97 RBI in 131 games. The 27-year-old has a chance to be a key middle-of-the-order bat for the Royals in the coming years, and he is under club control through the 2028 season.

11. Carlos Santana, Minnesota Twins

Still going strong in his age-38 season, Santana posted a 109 OPS+ with 26 doubles, 23 home runs, 71 RBI and 2.5 WAR in 150 games while playing on a one-year, $5.25 million contract. He also won the first Gold Glove of his career, and he has quietly racked up 324 home runs, 1,082 RBI and 38.0 WAR over 15 seasons.

Stats: 118 OPS+, .248/.335/.440, 51 XBH (21 HR), 65 RBI, 2.8 WAR

Rookie Michael Busch hit .323/.431/.618 with 27 home runs and 90 RBI in 98 games at Triple-A in the Dodgers organization in 2023, but he did not have a clear path to playing time in Los Angeles.

The Cubs acquired him during the offseason in exchange for prospects Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope during the offseason, and he won the starting first base job during spring training and a spot on the Opening Day roster.

The 27-year-old was a steady offensive performer in the middle of the Cubs lineup, and he ranked among the rookie leaders in hits (123, eighth), home runs (21, third), RBI (65, sixth) and total bases (218, fifth).

Stats: 120 OPS+, .265/.361/.401, 33 XBH (16 HR), 69 RBI, 2.7 WAR

Nathaniel Lowe missed the first 21 games of the 2024 season with an oblique strain, and while it took him some time to round into form once he finally returned to action, he ultimately finished with solid overall numbers once again.

He hit .310/.414/.517 with five home runs and 20 RBI in 26 games over the final month of the season to end the year on a high note, and he was named an AL Gold Glove finalist a year after taking home the hardware.

The 29-year-old has two years of club control remaining, but with his salary projected to climb from $7.5 million to $10.7 million, he could be a trade candidate this winter as the Rangers look to shed payroll.

Stats: 106 OPS+, .314/.346/.392, 39 XBH (4 HR), 46 RBI, 1.0 WAR

Luis Arraez went from the Miami Marlins to the San Diego Padres in a rare May trade, and he went on to win his third straight batting title with a .314 average while also leading the NL with 200 hits.

The 27-year-old is baseball's best contact hitter, and with 24 walks, 29 strikeouts and eight hit by pitches in 672 plate appearances, he put the ball in play in a staggering 90.9 percent of his plate appearances.

His value fully doesn't translate in today's analytics-driven game, but it's impossible to overlook his elite bat-to-ball skills.

Stats: 121 OPS+, .251/.335/.468, 52 XBH (26 HR), 84 RBI, 2.6 WAR

Christian Walker has posted a 123 OPS+ while averaging 29 doubles, 32 home runs, 94 RBI and 3.8 WAR over the past three seasons, emerging as a legitimate star for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The 33-year-old is now a free agent for the first time in his career, and while he might have to wait out Pete Alonso's market before signing his next contract, he should find plenty of interest on the open market.

On top of his middle-of-the-order offensive production, he has also won three straight Gold Glove Awards, and he is arguably the best defensive first baseman in the game right now.

Stats: 118 OPS+, .243/.320/.456, 58 XBH (31 HR), 108 RBI, 1.5 WAR

Tasked with protecting perennial MVP candidate José Ramírez in the middle of the Cleveland Guardians' batting order once again, Josh Naylor set career-high marks in home runs (31) and RBI (108).

However, the bulk of damage came during the first half of the season when he posted an .816 OPS with 22 home runs and 70 RBI in 90 games, so there is still room for improvement if he can put together a full season of All-Star-caliber production.

Still only 27 years old, Naylor will be a free agent after the 2025 season, and it will be interesting to see if the Guardians shop him this winter.

Stats: 118 OPS+, .247/.333/.457, 67 XBH (29 HR), 98 RBI, 3.8 WAR

After a 54-homer, 139-RBI season to finish fourth in NL MVP balloting in 2023, Matt Olson took a step backward in the third season of his eight-year, $168 million deal with the Atlanta Braves.

However, he finished strong, performing at an elite level over the final two months of the season:

• April-July: 107 G, .226/.305/..411, 17 HR, 50 RBI, 28.1 K%
• Aug-Sept: 55 G, .289/.386/.547, 12 HR, 48 RBI, 18.6 K%

The 30-year-old could be primed for another huge season in 2025, and even in a down year by his standards, he was still a 3.8-WAR player.

Stats: 123 OPS+, .240/.329/.459, 65 XBH (34 HR), 88 RBI, 2.6 WAR

Since bursting onto the scene with a record-setting 53 home runs as a rookie in 2019, Pete Alonso has been one of baseball's premier power hitters.

His 226 home runs over the past six seasons trail only Aaron Judge (232 HR), and he has also been extremely durable during that span, playing in 846 of 870 games for the New York Mets.

The 29-year-old is one of the top bats on the free-agent market this winter, and after reportedly turning down a seven-year, $158 million extension in June 2023, it will be interesting to see if anyone is willing to pay more than the Mets.

Stats: 143 OPS+, .282/.378/.476, 59 XBH (22 HR), 89 RBI, 4.7 WAR

Freddie Freeman added another layer to his Hall of Fame case in 2024, providing his usual elite offensive production during the regular season before turning in a postseason performance for the ages.

After failing to record an extra-base hit in the NLDS and NLCS while nursing a severe ankle injury and broken rib cartilage, he went 6-for-20 with four home runs and 12 RBI in the Fall Classic to take home World Series MVP honors.

The 35-year-old has three years and $81 million remaining on his contract, and at this point he is showing no signs of falling out of the conversation of the top first baseman in the league.

Stats: 149 OPS+, .285/.373/.525, 72 XBH (30 HR), 87 RBI, 4.8 WAR

A full-time first baseman for the first time in his career, Bryce Harper played in 145 games in 2024, his most since 2019 and the fifth-highest total of his career.

Not only did the position change help keep him healthy, but it also proved to be a good fit as he posted strong defensive metrics (5 DRS, 0.9 UZR/150) while replacing the departed Rhys Hoskins.

The 32-year-old produced the fifth 30-homer season of his career, and he hit a robust .331/.453/.670 over 148 plate appearances with runners in scoring position.

Stats: 166 OPS+, .323/.396/.544, 75 XBH (30 HR), 103 RBI, 6.2 WAR

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was an easy choice to occupy the No. 1 spot in these rankings, and his impressive numbers would have looked even better if not for a glacial start to the season offensively.

• March-April: 31 G, 136 PA, .229/.331/.348, 3 HR, 11 RBI
• May-Sept: 128 G, 561 PA, .345/.412/.590, 27 HR, 92 RBI
  

Now the focus shifts to his upcoming free agency, and whether the Toronto Blue Jays can lock him up with a long-term extension this offseason before he enters a contract year and moves one step closer to hitting the open market.

Still only 25 years old, he has 160 home runs, 507 RBI and 21.5 WAR over six seasons in the big leagues.