Top first basemen of the 21st century
Albert Pujols sits atop the rankings; was there ever any doubt?
Few players have been dominant as long as Albert Pujols was.
The Cardinals first baseman drilled precisely 1,900 hits, including 408 home runs, during his first decade in the major leagues. He batted .331 between 2001 and 2010. Pujols won three National League Most Valuable Player Awards in that span, and he finished second in the MVP balloting in four other seasons.
Nobody else in the league had more than 1,697 hits, launched more than 354 homers, or batted higher than .325 during the same period — and that includes Barry Bonds.
If Pujols had retired after his magical decade, a strong case could have been made today that he was the best first baseman of the 21st century.
But he kept playing, as we all know. He skipped off to California after one final season in St. Louis. His subsequent play with the Angels has not been up to his previous standards — his lifetime batting average has plummeted from .331 to .299 — yet he keeps reaching new milestones.
Pujols now sits fifth on the all-time list with 662 home runs, giving him a decent chance of becoming the fourth player ever to reach 700. He’s 15th in history with 3,236 hits, positioning him to crack the top 10 if he can add just 84 more in 2021.
And he still ranks as the best first baseman of the 21st century — the first 21 seasons of it, anyway — based on my 10-part formula. Miguel Cabrera and Todd Helton are the two runners-up. (Today’s list joins my previous story about the century’s best catchers, with Joe Mauer taking the top honors there.)
Quality and longevity are essential to earn a good score in these rankings. Not one or the other, but a strong combination of both characteristics. (Click here for a detailed explanation of the rating process.) Pujols fits the bill perfectly. His first 10 seasons were the epitome of quality, while the subsequent 10 proved his durability and allowed him to rack up those impressive career numbers.
This category was open to any player who made at least 2,500 plate appearances from 2000 to 2020, spending at least 40% of his games as a first baseman. Pujols is comfortably above the latter threshold, playing about two-thirds of the time at first, along with stints as an outfielder, designated hitter, and third baseman. (All of his statistics, regardless of position, count toward his rating here.)
Exactly 60 first basemen met the standards for these ratings. My formula ranks them from top to bottom, assigning the maximum score of 1,000 points to Pujols and the minimum of 0 at the opposite end of the scale. Everybody else’s score is determined by their relative performances between the two extremes.
Keep in mind that these ratings are limited to the current century. Anything that happened before 2000 doesn’t count. Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell, for instance, swatted 263 home runs and batted .304 during his first nine seasons (1991-1999). But those numbers don’t matter here. We’re interested only in his performance from 2000 to 2005 (186 HR, .285 BA), which landed him in 13th place.
Below are profiles of the century’s 10 highest-rated first basemen, followed by the rest of the standings (No. 11 to No. 60). Each profile features a player’s score, his cumulative stats for the century, and a few relevant notes. (Click here to learn more about the 10 statistical categories.)
1. Albert Pujols (2001-2020)
Score: 1,000 points
WAR: 100.6 total, 5.7 per 162 G, -2.1 defensive
Averages: .299 BA, .546 SLG, .931 BPO
Scoring: 3,281 R generated, 186 per 162 G
Totals: 2,862 G, 3,236 H
Notes: Pujols won those three MVP trophies during his 11 seasons in St. Louis (2001-2011), batting a solid .328, smashing 445 home runs, and winning two Gold Gloves. Pujols 2.0 hasn’t been nearly as impressive — .257 BA, 214 HR in Anaheim (2012-2020) — but his overall record is indisputably the best among first basemen.
2. Miguel Cabrera (2003-2020)
Score: 768 points
WAR: 69.3 total, 4.6 per 162 G, -17.7 defensive
Averages: .313 BA, .540 SLG, .937 BPO
Scoring: 2,699 R generated, 178 per 162 G
Totals: 2,457 G, 2,866 H
Notes: Cabrera did the seemingly impossible in 2012 by winning the Triple Crown (44 HR, 139 RBI, .330 BA), the first batter to do so in 45 years. He leads Pujols in career BA and BPO, though he is well behind the frontrunner in several categories, including total WAR, runs generated, and total hits.
3. Todd Helton (2000-2013)
Score: 753 points
WAR: 55.9 total, 4.8 per 162 G, -3.8 defensive
Averages: .317 BA, .536 SLG, 1.023 BPO
Scoring: 2,077 R generated, 177 per 162 G
Totals: 1,901 G, 2,141 H
Notes: Helton began the new century by winning the National League’s batting title in 2000. He hit at a stratospheric .372 clip that year — 17 points better than the runner-up — then topped .300 in each of the next seven seasons. Denver’s thin air, of course, deserved part of the credit. But Helton was a well-rounded player, also winning three Gold Gloves.
4. Joey Votto (2007-2020)
Score: 678 points
WAR: 61.8 total, 5.7 per 162 G, -4.4 defensive
Averages: .304 BA, .517 SLG, 1.012 BPO
Scoring: 1,712 R generated, 157 per 162 G
Totals: 1,771 G, 1,908 H
Notes: Votto ties Pujols for the highest value per season among all 21st century first basemen, 5.7 WAR for every 162 games. His steady hitting and incredibly good eye (leading the National League in walks five times) have yielded a career BPO of 1.012, a mark topped by only four players in this category.
5. Lance Berkman (2000-2013)
Score: 642 points
WAR: 51.8 total, 4.5 per 162 G, -11.1 defensive
Averages: .294 BA, .539 SLG, 1.016 BPO
Scoring: 1,993 R generated, 175 per 162 G
Totals: 1,845 G, 1,883 H
Notes: Berkman’s contemporaries knew his high value, as indicated by his consistent strength in balloting for Most Valuable Player Awards. He never won the trophy, yet he finished among the National League’s top seven votegetters in six different seasons. Berkman led the NL in doubles twice and RBIs once.
6. Mark Teixeira (2003-2016)
Score: 603 points
WAR: 50.6 total, 4.4 per 162 G, -0.9 defensive
Averages: .268 BA, .509 SLG, .877 BPO
Scoring: 1,988 R generated, 173 per 162 G
Totals: 1,862 G, 1,862 H
Notes: Most of the century’s premier first basemen were hitters first and foremost. Teixeira was an exception, the only member of the top 10 with a career BA below .270. But he compensated with exceptional skill in the field (five Gold Gloves) and exceeded all but five players at this position in total WAR.
7. Paul Goldschmidt (2011-2020)
Score: 586 points
WAR: 44.9 total, 5.5 per 162 G, -2.6 defensive
Averages: .293 BA, .522 SLG, .973 BPO
Scoring: 1,416 R generated, 175 per 162 G
Totals: 1,311 G, 1,395 H
Notes: Goldschmidt has topped the National League in home runs only once — 36 HR in 2013 — but pitchers have feared his power throughout his 10-year career. He blasted at least 33 homers in five of the seven seasons from 2013 to 2019. He also batted .300 or better four times and picked up three Gold Gloves.
8. Adrian Gonzalez (2004-2018)
Score: 545 points
WAR: 43.6 total, 3.7 per 162 G, -3.6 defensive
Averages: .287 BA, .485 SLG, .813 BPO
Scoring: 1,882 R generated, 158 per 162 G
Totals: 1,929 G, 2,050 H
Notes: Gonzalez was one of five first basemen to rap more than 2,000 hits since the turn of the century. He paced the American League in hits in 2011, and led the National League in walks (2009) and runs batted in (2014). He also earned Gold Gloves in both leagues, winning a total of four.
9. Jim Thome (2000-2012)
Score: 538 points
WAR: 43.2 total, 4.3 per 162 G, -12.3 defensive
Averages: .270 BA, .558 SLG, 1.029 BPO
Scoring: 1,678 R generated, 167 per 162 G
Totals: 1,627 G, 1,445 H
Notes: Thome is in the Hall of Fame primarily because of his 612 home runs. Roughly two-thirds (416) soared over the fence from 2000 to 2012, the final 13 seasons of his 22-year career. Thome’s slugging average of .558 is the best for any first baseman this century, as is his BPO of 1.029.
10. Carlos Delgado (2000-2009)
Score: 529 points
WAR: 33.0 total, 3.9 per 162 G, -12.3 defensive
Averages: .286 BA, .553 SLG, 1.006 BPO
Scoring: 1,584 R generated, 188 per 162 G
Totals: 1,368 G, 1,416 H
Notes: Delgado was a run-producing machine, generating 188 runs per 162 games. Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell (13th on this list) was the only first baseman to post a higher rate in the 21st century, 190 runs per 162. Delgado had more than 100 RBIs in seven of the 10 seasons from 2000 to his retirement.
Everybody else
11. Freddie Freeman (2010-2020): 514 points
12. Derrek Lee (2000-2011): 481 points
13. Jeff Bagwell (2000-2005): 461 points
14. Kevin Youkilis (2004-2013): 457 points
15. Jason Giambi (2000-2014): 455 points
16. Anthony Rizzo (2011-2020): 437 points
17. Paul Konerko (2000-2014): 416 points
18. Justin Morneau (2003-2016): 401 points
19. Jose Abreu (2014-2020): 389 points
20. Mike Sweeney (2000-2010): 386 points
21. Prince Fielder (2005-2016): 364 points
22. Rafael Palmeiro (2000-2005): 329 points
23. Carlos Santana (2010-2020): 324 points
24. Ryan Howard (2004-2016): 319 points
25. Mike Napoli (2006-2017): 304 points
26. Richie Sexson (2000-2008): 288 points
27. John Olerud (2000-2005): 286 points
28. Brandon Belt (2011-2020): 281 points
29. Ryan Klesko (2000-2007): 274 points
30. Eric Hosmer (2011-2020): 270 points
31. Carlos Pena (2001-2014): 264 points
32. Sean Casey (2000-2008): 254 points
33. Adam LaRoche (2004-2015): 249 points
34. Lyle Overbay (2001-2014): 226 points
35. Kevin Millar (2000-2009): 224 points
36. Nick Johnson (2001-2012): 213 points
37. Adam Lind (2006-2017): 210 points
38. James Loney (2006-2016): 199 points
39. Doug Mientkiewicz (2000-2009): 179 points
40. Tino Martinez (2000-2005): 165 points
41. Mark Reynolds (2007-2019): 160 points
42. Wil Myers (2013-2020): 157 points
43. Jeff Conine (2000-2007): 156 points
44. Mitch Moreland (2010-2020): 152 points
45. Chris Davis (2008-2020): 149 points
46. J.T. Snow (2000-2008): 120 points
47. C.J. Cron (2014-2020): 108 points
48. Scott Hatteberg (2000-2008): 95 points
48. Scott Spiezio (2000-2007): 95 points
50. Travis Lee (2000-2006): 85 points
51. Matt Adams (2012-2020): 84 points
52. Lucas Duda (2010-2019): 74 points
53. Yonder Alonso (2010-2019): 72 points
54. Casey Kotchman (2004-2013): 57 points
55. Tony Clark (2000-2009): 53 points
56. Todd Zeile (2000-2004): 43 points
57. Garrett Jones (2007-2015): 35 points
58. Justin Smoak (2010-2020): 31 points
59. Logan Morrison (2010-2020): 14 points
60. Chris Carter (2010-2017): 0 points