Best First Basemen Under Age 26

MLB’s Best First Baseman under Age 26

First base is another tricky position for youngsters to break into. Without offending any first basemen in the audience, careers once started at other, more glamorous positions, often die at first base. Nomar Garciaparra is a prime example of someone began his career elsewhere and was eventually shuffled over to first base. It is a position that, while requiring quickness and strong reaction time, doesn’t need a lot of mobility. Teams often sign veterans who can still mash, in hopes of putting them at first base just to keep them in the lineup.

With that being said, however, there are three standout first basemen in the majors today who are all under the age of 25. Billy Butler of the Kansas City Royals definitely stands out above the rest. His 2010 campaign was solid and there is only room for improvement as he sees more pitches and gets more comfortable at the plate. He batted over .300, had fewer than 100 strikeouts and showed decent power by slugging over .460. Billy Butler tops our list of first baseman under age 25 to keep an eye on.

Other standouts include Ike Davis of the Mets (an ex Sun Devil), and Daric Barton of the Oakland A’s. All three players should have long careers ahead of them barring injury. Fans of the Mets, A’s and Royals – don’t despair, you have good talent on your team. Just try to re-sign them.

2010 Stats for First Basemen Under Age 25

Player Team Age AB R H HR RBI SB BA OBP SLG OPS
Billy Butler KC 24 595 77 189 15 78 0 0.318 0.388 0.469 0.857
Daric Barton OAK 25 556 79 152 10 57 7 0.273 0.393 0.405 0.798
Ike Davis NYM 23 523 73 138 19 71 3 0.264 0.351 0.440 0.791

 

To see where other stars under the age of 25 rank around the diamond, see the links below.

Best Starting Pitchers 25 and Under

Best Catchers 25 and Under

Best Second Basemen 25 and Under

Best Third Basemen 25 and Under

Best Shortstops 25 and Under

Best Outfielders 25 and Under

 

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