Will Manzi Second Half 1B Ranks, ROS Prospect Ranks,
An in -depth look at the position at the midway point.
Will’s Second Half First Base Ranks
Bryce Harper, PHI
Freddie Freeman, LAD
Christian Walker, ARI
Josh Naylor, CLE
Matt Olson, ATL
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR
Salvador Perez, KC
Luis Arraez, SD
Pete Alonso, NYM
Paul Goldschmidt, STL
Spencer Steer, CIN
Triston Casas, BOS
Alec Bohm, PHI
Isaac Paredes, TBR
Michael Busch, CHC
Carlos Santana, MIN
Cody Bellinger, CHC
Ryan Mountcastle, BAL
Jake Cronenworth, BAL
Yandy Diaz, TBR
Ben Rice, NYY
Vinnie Pasquantino, KC
Jeimer Candelario, CIN
Spencer Horwitz, TOR
Michael Toglia, COL
Notes:
-A lot of people are going to forget that Triston Casas was one of the best hitters in baseball in the second half of last season. He’s a unique guy that’ll defintely be an analyst or broadcaster that everyone either loves or hates. His pre game routine and finger nail polish were a more polarizing topic than the last place finish last year. Who cares. He has elite raw power / strength, and a great feel for the barrel and strike zone. Casas is more dynamic than most first basemen because he loves to find unique, personalized ways to learn the game and improve, which results in a unique and specialized skillset.
-Rockie Michael Toglia has quietly been the best hitting first baseman since June 1st. He had a huge June into July stretch. His 12 homers since June 1st are most by any first baseman during that span.
- Blue Jay Spencer Horwitz has also been impressive recently. He leads all first basemen in xWOBA with at least 120 PA’s at 385 PA. 9.3% Brl.
Top 5 2024 First Base Prospects: 2nd Half:
1 Tyler Black, MIL The hit-first Tyler on this list has the highest floor here outside of Manzardo, who was underwhelming in his first big league stint. Black gets the nod. He has good plate skills as he’s proven with a walk rate above 11% and strikeout rate below 17% at AAA. He’s slashed .235/.316/.294 since his call up with no home runs. His K rate is above 30%, but that projects to be far lower as he adjusts.
2 Kyle Manzardo, CLE, He’s still developing into a potential impact bat in the big leagues. The reason why he’s in AAA right now is because his walk rate is 10% lower and his strikeout rate is 10% higher in the MLB versus in Triple A. He was at an extremely low 3% BB in his stint with Cleveland this year.
He chases about 7% more in the big leagues compared to AAA as well. We know the power is massive, but there’s a lot that goes into getting to that power in games that we don’t get to see. Big upside.
3 Tyler Locklear, SEA The slug-first
Tyler on this list is here not for his floor, but his ceiling as a possible above average bat as a first baseman somewhere down the line.
4 Yohandy Morales, WAS, The 17th ranked prospect in the Nationals organization displayed heralded power at the U (Miami), yet hasn’t quite found the same stroke since being drafted in 2023.
Morales has had a below average season at Double A Harrisburg in 2024, but still boasts massive tools at the plate, most notably plus raw power.
5 Sterlin Thompson, COL: Colorado is so bad that Thompson could ascend and become something for a stretch, even though he’s in Double A.
Thompson is a well rounded hitter who will likely develop into a fantasy relevant player some day, especially if he stays with the Rockies. Fangraphs has him as the 7th best prospect in Colorado’s organization.
Honorable Mention: Austin Shenton of the Rays is another one to keep an eye on. He’ll need to trim his massive 35% K rate first, but his walk rate of 13% ranks highly among minor and major league first basemen, so he has decent feel for the zone to pair with his 60 grade Fangraphs raw power.
Waiver Wire First Basemen
LaMonte Wade doesn’t play every day
Nathaniel Lowe
Spencer Horwitz Highest xWOBA of all 1B with at least 120
Andrew Vaughn
Josh Bell
Gavin Sheets
Mauricio Dubon
Rowdy Tellez
Jake Burger
Ty France
Luke Raley
Battling Injury:
IL10:
JD Davis
Abraham Toro
Tyler Soderstrom
Alex Kirilloff
Kris Bryant
Cody Bellinger
Joey Gallo
IL60:
Anthony Rizzo
Christian Encarnacion Strand
Triston Casas
DTD:
Luis Arraez (Thumb June 25th)