2013 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: First Base

Below are my first base rankings for 2013.

1. Joey Votto (BA, R, HR, RBI) 
2. Albert Pujols (BA, R, HR, RBI) *also eligible at DH 
3. Prince Fielder (BA, R, HR, RBI) 
4. Edwin Encarnacion (BA, R, HR, RBI) *also eligible at DH 
5. Buster Posey (BA, HR, RBI) *also eligible at C 
6. Billy Butler (BA, HR, RBI) *also eligible at DH 
7. Allen Craig (BA, R, HR, RBI) *also eligible at OF 
8. Adrian Gonzalez (BA, R, HR, RBI) 
9. Joe Mauer (BA, R, RBI) *also eligible at C/DH 
10. Paul Goldschmidt (BA, R, HR, RBI, SB) 
11. Adam LaRoche (HR, RBI, -BA) 
12. Corey Hart (HR, R, RBI, -BA) *also eligible at OF 
13. Freddie Freeman (HR, R, RBI, -BA) 
14. Mark Trumbo (HR, RBI) *also eligible at OF/DH 
15. Eric Hosmer (SB, ok in other categories) 
16. Anthony Rizzo (BA, HR, RBI) 
17. Nick Swisher (HR, RBI, -BA) *also eligible at OF 
18. Chris Davis (HR, RBI, -BA) *also eligible at OF/DH 
19. Kendrys Morales (BA, HR, RBI) *also eligible at DH 

My rankings are based on a 10-team rotisserie with the following positions: (head-to-head roto/categories would benefit from these rankings as well)

• 1 Catcher
• 1 First Baseman
• 1 Second Baseman
• 1 Shortstop
• 1 Third Baseman
• 1 Corner Infielder (1B/3B)
• 1 Middle Infielder (2B/SS)
• 1 Utility
• 5 Outfielders
• 9 Pitchers (mixture of Starting Pitchers and Relief Pitchers)
• 3 Bench Spots
• 1 Disabled List 

It is usually hard to tell why a player is ranked where they are. If you play in roto or head-to-head roto then you need to how a certain player will help you. If you've been playing a while then you know that Michael Bourn will give you steals and not much else, but if you're new or a casual fan then you won't know this by the ranking alone.

Given this, in my rankings I have what categories (in parantheses) I expect a certain player to help in.

My general bias is towards home runs and batting average and away from steals. If you can find a guy who can help you in all three categories then take him, but if it's a steals specialist I would pass him by. Steals can be found off the waiver wire (such as Juan Pierre last year) or later in the draft, but batting average and home runs aren't as easy to come by and they often lead to other stats such as runs and RBI's.

Key:

• BA: Batting Average
• -BA: will hurt your overall Batting Average
• R: Runs 
• HR: Homes Runs
• RBI: Runs Batted In
• S: Steals

*position eligibility based on ESPN's Fantasy Baseball rules