MLB The Show 19: Best First Basemen (1B)

First base has long been home to some of the best power hitters to ever play baseball. The likes of Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, and Hank Greenberg terrorized pitchers of previous generations, while Frank Thomas, Jim Thome, and Albert Pujols have followed their example and blasted home runs more recently. The current crop of first basemen are still some of the deadliest power hitters around, but they are starting to add more skills to their arsenal than just the long ball.

How to choose the best first basemen in MLB The Show 19's Franchise Mode

This article will look at the best first basemen in MLB The Show 19's Franchise Mode. These players all have a primary position of first base and start Franchise Mode on a Major League roster. These guys are elite hitters but can field their position well too. Any speed and threat on the basepaths is a nice bonus. These players can fill a DH spot in the American League and in the National League first base is really the only place you can carry a bad fielder. All these players have an OVR of 75 or more in Franchise Mode too.

*For a full list please see the table below

Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds (OVR 91)

Age: 35

Throws/Bats: R/L

Contract: 4 years/$90 million

Secondary Position: None

Batting Tendency: Whole Field

Best Stats: Discipline (99), Clutch (99), Contact vs R (95), Durability (94), Contact vs L (80), Vision (74), Fielding (73)

The Reds veteran Joey Votto heads the list of top first basemen in The Show 19. The six-time All-Star claimed the 2010 NL MVP award as well as the gold glove in 2011. Votto is well known for his incredible ability to get on base. He has led MLB in on-base percentage three times in his career and has a beautiful .311/.427/.530 slash line for his career. That on-base skill is reflected in his discipline stat (99) and the average in his contact skills (80/95). He doesn't have much power these days, but given how much he gets on base he is still a valuable member of any lineup.

Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals (OVR 91)

Age: 31

Throws/Bats: R/R

Contract: 1 year/$6.4 million

Secondary Position: None

Batting Tendency: Whole Field

Best Stats: Discipline (99), Durability (97), Contact vs L (91), Clutch (90), Arm Accuracy (84), Power vs L (81)

Paul Goldschmidt is a three-time gold glove winner at first base and has stole 15+ bases in five different seasons during his 9 year career in the Majors. Those are nice bonuses to have, but Goldschmidt's real value comes at the plate, where his .298/.398/.534 slash line shows the real damage he can deal. He's topped 30 homer runs in four seasons and is still in his prime as a hitter. In The Show 19 he too has excellent discipline at the plate (99) and his ability to hit lefties is terrific (contact vs L 91, power vs L 81).

Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves (OVR 90)

Age: 29

Throws/Bats: R/L

Contract: 3 years/$50.7 million

Secondary Position: 3B

Batting Tendency: Extreme Pull

Best Stats: Durability (99), Clutch (93), Contact vs R (89), Discipline (88), Contact vs L (83), Fielding (78), Arm Accuracy (78)

Freddie Freeman made his MLB debut with the Atlanta Braves in 2010 and has been with them ever since. He hasn't always been a power bat in their line up, topping 30 homers just once, but he has been a consistent producer at the plate for them. He has hit over .300 in each of the last three seasons, and that is reflected in his strong contact skills (89/83) in The Show 19. He's also a very good fielder (78) at first base and is a clutch (93) hitter for the Braves too.

Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers (OVR 88)

Age: 35

Throws/Bats: R/R

Contract: 5 years/$155 million

Secondary Position: 3B

Batting Tendency: Whole Field

Best Stats: Contact vs L (89), Discipline (88), Arm Accuracy (88), Contact vs R (84), Clutch (81), Durability (79)

Miguel Cabrera is one of the best power hitters in recent baseball history. His first 30-homer season came in 2004 at the age of 21 in his first full season with the Florida Marlins. He moved to Detroit in 2008 and kept mashing, eventually winning back-to-back MVP's in 2012 & '13 as he topped 40 homers and claimed the Triple Crown in 2012. Miggy's power has dropped away with age and injury, but he is still a superb contact hitter (84/89) with a terrific eye at the plate. His fielding (59) isn't great, but if you can restore his power swing then Miggy can still be deadly.

Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox (OVR 86)

Age: 32

Throws/Bats: R/R

Contract: 1 year/$16 million

Secondary Position: None

Batting Tendency: Whole Field

Best Stats: Clutch (90), Contact vs L (87), Power vs L (79), Durability (78), Contact vs R (76)

Jose Abreu got his Major League debut in 2014 as he hit 36 homers and led MLB in slugging percentage on his way to Rookie of the Year and his first All-Star appearance. The power numbers have fluctuated since then, but he's always been good for 25-30 homers, 35-40 doubles, and has a career .295 batting average too. With his contract running down and the White Sox a long way from competing he could well be available in a trade, so if you need someone that can mash lefties (contact vs L 87, power vs L 79) then Abreu is your man. 

Matt Olson, Oakland Athletics (OVR 84)

Age: 25

Throws/Bats: R/L

Contract: 1 year/$575,000

Secondary Position: RF

Batting Tendency: Whole Field

Best Stats: Durability (99), Power vs R (98), Fielding (84), Discipline (81), Arm Accuracy (79), Reaction (76)

One of the new generation of first basemen coming through, Matt Olson debuted for the A's in 2016 and soon began to display his power. In 2017 he launched 24 homers in just 59 games, convincing pitchers to take far more care with him than they would a normal rookie. In 2018 Olson played all 162 games, hitting 29 homers and 33 doubles. He took home the AL gold glove at first last season as well as a glowing reputation as a power threat at the plate. That threat is reflected in his power vs right-handed pitching (98) while his fielding (84) is among the best at first base.

Daniel Murphy, Colorado Rockies (OVR 83)

Age: 34

Throws/Bats: R/L

Contract: 2 years/$24 million

Secondary Position: 2B, 3B

Batting Tendency: Whole Field

Best Stats: Clutch (99), Contact vs R (94), Durability (93), Vision (90), Contact vs L (80), Arm Accuracy (72)

Daniel Murphy started his career with the New York Mets, getting his debut in 2008 and becoming an every day player with them in 2009. In seven seasons with the Mets he hit .288 with infrequent bouts of power but with solid defense at second base for the most part. He moved to Washington in 2016 and then to the Cubs during the 2018 season before finally landing in Colorado for the 2019 season where he will play first base. Murphy's biggest asset is his contact ability (94/80) and while he has hit 20+ homers before it's only been twice. Still, in Colorado's friendly home park he could soon start launching more balls out of the park, and as a career .299 hitter he is very useful in the lineup, especially at crunch time (clutch 99).

Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers (OVR 83)

Age: 23

Throws/Bats: L/L

Contract: 1 year/$575,000

Secondary Position: LF, CF, RF

Batting Tendency: Whole Field

Best Stats: Durability (99), Power vs R (84), Discipline (83), Speed (78), Arm Strength (72), Contact vs R (70), Fielding (70)

Cody Bellinger was a 4th round pick for the Dodgers in 2013 but soon developed into a Major League worthy player. He got his debut in 2017 and promptly mashed, hitting 39 homers on his way to Rookie of the Year. 2018 saw a slight dip in power, down to 25 homers but his doubles and triples all improved. Bellinger has split time between first base and the outfield thanks to his impressive speed (78), which makes him a threat on the basepaths too. Bellinger has good power at the plate in The Show 19 (84/73) to blast long bombs, but his contact, especially against lefties (59) isn't great so you may want to platoon him early on.

Brandon Belt, San Francisco Giants (OVR 83)

Age: 30

Throws/Bats: L/L

Contract: 3 years/$43.8 million

Secondary Position: None

Batting Tendency: Extreme Pull

Best Stats: Discipline (92), Fielding (85), Reaction (82), Contact vs R (78), Clutch (75), Power vs R (72) Arm Accuracy (72)

Brandon Belt was a top prospect for the giants but he never really developed into the star first baseman they had hoped. He got his debut in 2011 and was an every-day starter by 2012. He was part of two World Series wins for the giants including impressive performances in the 2014 postseason. However, the regular season has been a bit of a struggle for Belt at the plate. His career high is just 18 home runs in one year and he has a .265 career batting average, however his on-base skills are good (discipline 92) and his fielding (85) is excellent.

Edwin Encarnacion, Seattle Mariners (OVR 83)

Age: 36

Throws/Bats: R/R

Contract: 1 year/$20 million

Secondary Position: 3B

Batting Tendency: Extreme Pull

Best Stats: Discipline (95), Power vs R (88), Durability (84), Power vs L (79)

A veteran slugger, Edwin Encarnacion has been a fearsome power bat over the years. Edwin got his debut with Cincinnati in 2005 but made his name in Toronto. He arrived in Canada during the 2009 season but in 2012 turned into an absolute masher, blasting 42 homers and hitting .280. That trend would continue as he racked up 193 home runs in a 5-year span along with 550 RBI and a .272/.367/.544 slash line. In 2017 he moved to Cleveland and continued to launch 30+ long balls, he will play the 2019 season with Seattle. In The Show 19 Encarnacion still has excellent power stats (88/79) and plate discipline (95) but little else to offer the team. 

All first baseman with OVR of 75 or more

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