Assuming the baseball season will start at some point, we can surely count on the NL East being one of the more tightly-contested divisions in the league. To get a better sense as to where the Mets’ roster stands, we will be offering positional breakdowns and rankings of each team in the division.
Today, we will be taking a look at first basemen in the NL East, which combines some veteran players looking to make an impact on their new teams, as well as some young guys who should be on lists like these for years to come.
5. Washington Nationals
The Nationals sit at No. 5 on this list solely because they are sporting two older players who were once good, and now, not so much.
Their starter most days will most likely be Eric Thames, who has impressively been serviceable since returning from playing overseas. Although his average has certainly decreased since his first years in the show, his break to play in Korea certainly improved his eye at the plate. His BB% skyrocketed from 5.2 in 2012 to 13.6 in 2017 and has remained in the double digits since. This has made a considerable increase in his OBP, which has sat above .300 for three seasons in a row.
Thames’ fielding has always been quite good, as he posted a .996 fielding percentage in 2019 and has taken home two KBO gold gloves. Still, his UZR was below average at -3.8, and his increasing age could slingshot this further down.
Behind Thames sits veteran player and Mr. National, Ryan Zimmerman. The lifetime National played in only 52 games in 2019, but was serviceable at the plate, hitting just under .260 and coming in clutch, knocking in 27 runs in their World Series winning season. Still, he only amassed 0.1 WAR, and his wRC+ was well below average at 89. Defensively he was better than Thames, but his age is a huge factor.
4. Miami Marlins
It was only two years ago, in 2018, that Jesus Aguilar put up all-star numbers at first base for the Brewers. In 2019, he slumped, but he is still only 29-years-old, and with a new home down in Miami, the big guy could rekindle his old flame.
Despite his low 2019 average, Aguilar did get on base a solid amount, sporting a .325 OBP. His BB% was the highest of his career, and his strikeout percentage hit an all-time low.
He was in the plus for UZR at +0.4, and is a career +1.1 UZR player, so he is serviceable defensively, and the rebuilding Miami team could be the perfect place for him to catch fire again.
Behind him, the Marlins have Garrett Cooper, who started 73 games for them at first in 2019. Cooper has been quite good, hitting .281 and posting a .791 OPS. His BAPIP was even more impressive; when he makes contact, he hits .357.
Defensively, Cooper is +0.4 in UZR with 5 defensive runs saved (DRS).
With two plus defensive first basemen, the Marlins seem to have that position locked down for the next couple of seasons at least.
3. Philadelphia Phillies
Although Philly star Rhys Hoskins is coming off of the worst season of his young career, the 26-year-old still has a lot of potential to develop into the absolute stud that us baseball fans saw in parts of 2017-18.
The first basemen has many talents, including his ability to round the bases at an extremely slow speed, and still hit for a .364 OBP in 2019, even though his average dropped to .226. This is partially because of his increase in walks, as his BB% rose from 13.2 in 2018 to 16.5 in 2019.
The guy is known for his power, which showed itself in his 2017 rookie season. In 50 games, he hit for a .618 slugging percentage on 18 home runs, which would put him on pace for 58 home runs if were to have played a whole season performing that way. The power numbers have slumped since; his slugging percentage has averaged slightly below .500 the past two seasons (still quite good), and his home run count has dropped, but not by much.
Hoskins put up 2.2 WAR in 2019, good for No. 12 out of MLB first basemen, and he still had a 113 WRC+, which sits 13 points above average.
In the field, Hoskins is decent, posting a +2.4 UZR and zero DRS in 2019, good for fourth in the league among first basemen.
Behind Hoskins sits Jay Bruce, who did not actually play any first base for the team after he was traded to Philadelphia midseason. In the first half of 2019 with the Mariners, he did play first base, and was somewhat effective. His UZR sat in the slight negatives, but his bat found its power again, as he swatted 26 home runs and slugged .523 across the length of the season.
2. Atlanta Braves
Not far behind sits the Braves and superstar Freddie Freeman, coming off one of the best seasons of his career.
A big difference with between Freeman and Alonso resides in the number of strikeouts each player provides. Freeman sits significantly lower than Alonso, striking out only 18.4% of the time in 2019, good for almost eight points less. Freeman also boosted his power numbers tremendously last season, smacking a career high 38 home runs and slugging .549.
Freeman did sit below Alonso in WRC+, ranked No. 17 in the league, and accumulated 0.8 less WAR than him at 4.0, good for fifth out of all major league first basemen.
Behind Freeman at first for the Braves is Austin Riley, whose initial season was not so great. His K% was through the roof at 36.4%, and he only hit for a .226 average. His WRC+ was below average at 86, and he was in the negatives in first base UZR.
Still, if Freeman can remain healthy like he has in the past, the Braves will be fine at first. Riley still has a lot of potential for development as well.
1. New York Mets
The Mets sit in a unique situation in which they have two first basemen who would be everyday starters if they weren’t on the same team.
The National League Rookie of the Year Pete Alonso posted a .260 average last year on 53 home runs over 161 games, shattering the Mets seasonal home run record and just beating out fellow New York superstar Aaron Judge for the major league rookie home run record. He also got on base an at a strong clip, posting a .358 OBP, an impressive number for a power-hitting first basemen.
His 143 WRC+ was good for No. 10 in the league, and although his strikeout percentage sat slightly high at 26.1%, he still posted a 4.8 WAR over almost an entire season of play, tied with Max Muncy for the highest of all first basemen in the league.
Defensively, Alonso was better than expected, ranking sixth out of all major league first basemen in UZR at +1.8.
Obviously, his rookie status offers some questions, but if Pete Alonso can perform anywhere close to how he did in 2019, he has cemented himself firmly as the best first basemen in the NL East.
Behind Alonso sits 2019 end-of-season hero and team hype-man Dominic Smith. Smith played in 89 games for the Mets in 2019, hitting .282 while posting an extremely impressive .881 OPS. His WRC+ sat at 133, which is well above average and showcases just how much depth the Mets have at first base.
