2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep: First Base Tiers 1.0

Don't compound your corner infield issues in Rotisserie by going weak at first base

By Scott White

Mar 10, 2026 at 10:39 am ET • 1 min read

You're in the thick of the draft and can't decide between two players. The logical choice is to target the one whose position is nearest to dropping off. But where are the drop-offs? That's what these tiers denote. Players whose impact is essentially the same are bundled together, revealing at a glance how many alike choices remain. With these tiers in hand, you'll have all you need to determine in real time which position is most appropriate to draft next.

Position Tiers (v. 3.0): C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP
Position Strategies: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP

Below are the first base tiers for 2026, which show how age has begun to take a toll on the position, with many of its mainstays dropping to The Near-Elite tier. It makes for a tier so large, though, that you could yourself in a bind if you miss out on it, particularly in Rotisserie leagues where there's an extra corner infield spot to fill.

The Elite: Nick Kurtz, Vladimir Guerrero Jr
The Near-Elite: Pete Alonso, Matt Olson, Bryce Harper, Rafael Devers, Freddie Freeman, Josh Naylor
The Next-Best Things: Ben Rice, Vinnie Pasquantino, Yandy Diaz†, Tyler Soderstrom, Michael Busch
The Fallback Options: Salvador Perez Jonathan Aranda, Sal Stewart, Spencer Torkelson
The Last Resorts: Munetaka Murakami, Willson Contreras, Alec Burleson, Spencer Steer, Luis Arraez, Kyle Manzardo, Christian Walker, (Bryce Eldridge)
The Leftovers: Andrew Vaughn, Lenyn Sosa, Jake Burger, Miguel Vargas, Nolan Schanuel, Ryan O'Hearn, Coby Mayo, TJ Rumfield, Charlie Condon, Paul Goldschmidt, Josh Smith, Triston Casas, Romy Gonzalez, Josh Bell, Rhys Hoskins