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Who are the top first basemen in MLB history? Here is our top 10 countdown:
Note: Updated in 2022.
10. Frank Thomas: a dominant force in the 1990s, Thomas was a batting champion and 2x MVP who hit 521 career home runs; moreover, he is the only player in MLB history to compile seven straight years of a .300+ batting average, 20+ home runs, 100+ runs batted in, 100+ runs scored, and 100+ walks.
9. Harmon Killebrew: one of the greatest power hitters in MLB history, Killebrew was a 6x home run champion and had eight 40+ home run seasons, including a career-best 49 in his 1969 AL MVP season, while racking up 573 career long balls (fourth-most all-time at the time of his retirement).
8. Willie McCovey: only the 16th first-ballot Hall of Famer in baseball history, McCovey teamed with Willie Mays to form one of the greatest hitting duos ever – the 1969 NL MVP was a 3x home run champion who mashed 521 career dingers, including an NL-record 18 grand slams.
7. Johnny Mize: despite missing three seasons in his prime due to World War II, Mize was one of baseball’s underrated superstars – during his Hall of Fame career, he won a batting title, was a 4x home run champion, and led the league in runs batted in 3x, while also being excellent with the glove (.992 career fielding percentage).
6. Miguel Cabrera: the first player to win the Triple Crown in 45 years (doing so in 2012), Cabrera is a back-to-back MVP winner and career .300+ hitter who has reached the magical milestones of both 3,000 hits and 500 home runs for his career.
5. Hank Greenberg: the first Jewish superstar across American team sports, Greenberg missed three seasons for military service during World War II, but was one of the top sluggers in baseball throughout the 1930s and 1940s – a 2x MVP, he hit a career-high 58 home runs in 1938 and also had three seasons with 150+ runs batted in.
4. Cap Anson: regarded as one of baseball’s first superstars, Anson was a player-manager who spent a record 27 seasons playing professional baseball across the National Association and MLB, and hit well above .300 while accumulating over 3,000 career hits and 2,000 runs batted in.
3. Jimmie Foxx: second only to Babe Ruth in terms of raw power in the early 20th century, Foxx was a slugger who could also hit for average; in addition to bashing 534 career home runs (including 58 in 1932) and driving in 1,900+ runs, he hit .325 for his career en route to three MVP awards and a Triple Crown in 1933.
2. Albert Pujols: the best hitter in baseball during the 2000s, Pujols began his career with 10 straight seasons of batting .300+ with 30+ home runs and 100+ runs batted in (winning three MVPs in the process), and accumulated over 3,300 hits, 700 home runs, and 2,200 runs batted in during his Hall of Fame-worthy career.
1. Lou Gehrig: known as the “Iron Horse” for playing in 2,130 consecutive games with the New York Yankees, Gehrig was arguably the greatest run producer in baseball history – he hit 493 home runs (among them a record 23 grand slams), drove in nearly 2,000 runs (including three of the top six RBI seasons ever), and won MVP awards (2x) and a Triple Crown (1934).
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: While Stan Musial played both outfield and first base during his career, he is being classified as an outfielder and thus is not included as part of this list.
Note: While Rod Carew played both first base and second base during his career, he is being classified as a second baseman and thus is not included as part of this list.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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