Draft Prep Tiers: C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP | RP
You want a hitter? You know where to find one.
First base is never lacking.
Third base is giving it a run at the high end, but for depth throughout, first base still stands out, offering four players who are elite or better and 11 others who'll be fixtures for some team, be it at first base, DH or, in the case of Buster Posey, catcher.
Because it's where so many Fantasy owners find their DH, it's where I slot the DH-only players for tiering purposes. Knowing that you can't actually use Nelson Cruz at first base doesn't greatly change your approach to him or the position as a whole. If you're aiming for as much production as you can (and who isn't?) you're almost certainly ending up with two or more first basemen.
And so playing the tiers at first base isn't as pivotal as at other positions, which isn't to say I wouldn't grab Anthony Rizzo in Round 2 if he made the most sense. It just means you'll want to pay closer attention to the talent depletion at other positions with an actual scarcity, be it at the top or in the middle.
The Unmatched: Paul Goldschmidt
The Elite: Freddie Freeman, Joey Votto, Anthony Rizzo
The Near-Elite: Cody Bellinger, Jose Abreu, Buster Posey
The Next-Best Things: Rhys Hoskins, (Nelson Cruz), Edwin Encarnacion, Miguel Cabrera, Eric Hosmer, Wil Myers, Matt Carpenter, Carlos Santana†
The Fallback Options: Matt Olson, Joey Gallo, Justin Smoak, Ryan Zimmerman, Marwin Gonzalez, Josh Bell, Greg Bird, Eric Thames, Justin Bour
The Last Resorts: Ian Desmond, Chris Davis, Yuli Gurriel, Logan Morrison, Trey Mancini, Brandon Belt, Mark Reynolds
The Leftovers: Jose Martinez, Ryon Healy, (Hanley Ramirez), (Kendrys Morales), Joe Mauer, Dominic Smith, Yonder Alonso, Mitch Moreland, Colin Moran, Chase Headley, C.J. Cron, Adam Lind, Ryan McMahon
( ): DH-only
†: one tier lower in categories (or Rotisserie) leagues
