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

First base has long been the home of brilliant and vicious power hitters. The likes of Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx are the stars of black & white baseball, but in more recent years Jim Thome, Frank Thomas, and Albert Pujols have battered the ball from first base. In the current MLB the likes of Freddie Freeman and Paul Goldschmidt have been the names to watch at that position, but there are some young players coming through to take over.

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

This article will look at the best young first basemen in MLB The Show's Franchise Mode. These players will all have first base as their primary position and are aged 25 or younger. They are all on an MLB roster when you start a franchise mode. So who are the best young first basemen in MLB The Show 19?

*For a full list please see the table below

Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers (80 OVR)

Age: 23

Potential: A

Throws/Bats: L/L

Secondary Position: LF, CF, RF

Hitter Tendency: Whole Field

Best Stats: Durability (99), Power vs R (84), Discipline (83), Speed (78), Power vs L (73), Arm Strength (72), Contact vs R (70)

Cody Bellinger was a fourth-round pick for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013. He got his MLB debut in 2017 and was an immediate star. Bellinger played 132 games as a rookie and hit a massive 39 home runs with a .267 average and ok defense. The result was an All-Star appearance and the NL Rookie of the Year award. In 2018 Bellinger came down to earth somewhat, hitting 25 homers but with more doubles and triples.

In The Show 19 Bellinger is a powerful hitter (84/73). He has the durability (99) to play every game and good speed (78) for the position too. Bellinger has the versatility to play the outfield as well as first, and good discipline (83) at the plate to pick his pitches to hit.

Matt Olson, Oakland Athletics (79 OVR)

Age: 25

Potential: A

Throws/Bats: R/L

Secondary Position: RF

Hitter Tendency: Whole Field

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

Matt Olson was a first-round pick for the Oakland Athletics in 2012. He got his MLB debut in 2016 but didn't see any serious time until 2017. That year he played 59 games and hit 24 homers with a .259 average and good defense. In 2018 Olson played every game for the A's and hit 29 homers along with 33 doubles and some stellar defense as he won the AL gold glove at first base.

In The Show 19 Olson has elite durability (99) and very good fielding (84). Along with that Olson bring enormous power against righties (98) which can be game-changing. Olson's other hitting stats aren't nearly as strong, but with one superb stat and strong glove-work makes him a very good prospect at first base.

Ryan O'Hearn, Kansas City Royals (73 OVR)

Age: 25

Potential: B

Throws/Bats: L/L

Secondary Position: LF, RF

Hitter Tendency: Whole Field

Best Stats: Durability (80), Discipline (76), Power vs R (76), Contact vs R (72)

Ryan O'Hearn was an eighth-round pick for the Kansas City Royals in 2014 and got his MLB debut in 2018, playing 44 games. In those appearances O'Hearn picked up 12 homers, 30 RBI, and a .262/.353/.597 slashline.

In The Show 19 O'Hearn is good hitting against righties, with nice contact (72) and power (76). He has solid discipline at the plate (76) and the durability (80) to play most games. His ability against lefties is poor though, and his fielding (51) is weaker than ideal. 

Ronald Guzman, Texas Rangers (71 OVR)

Age: 24

Potential: B

Throws/Bats: L/L

Secondary Position: None

Hitter Tendency: Opposite

Best Stats: Durability (75), Arm Accuracy (74), Fielding (73), Reaction (68), Power vs R (62), Discipline (60)

Ronald Guzman signed with the Texas Rangers as an international free agent in 2011 and got his MLB debut in 2018, playing 123 games with 16 homers and a .235/.306/.416 slashline and some ok defense.

In The Show 19 Guzman lacks some of the elite hitting stats you would look for in a first baseman, but he is solid across the board at the plate, with power against righties being his best (62). His fielding (73) is strong and he has enough durability (75) to play regularly.

Rowdy Tellez, Toronto Blue Jays (69 OVR)

Age: 24

Potential: B

Throws/Bats: L/L

Secondary Position: None

Hitter Tendency: Whole Field

Best Stats: Contact vs R (70), Power vs R (69), Durability (68), Power vs L (58), Arm Accuracy (57)

Rowdy Tellez was a 30th-round pick for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2013 and got his MLB debut in 2018. He played 23 games in that season, hitting 4 homers and 9 doubles with a .314/.329/.614 slashline and ok defense.

In The Show 19 Tellez is good against righties with nice contact (70) and ok power (69). He has reasonable durability (68) and is not too bad against lefties either (contact 52, power 58). His vision (40) and discipline (39) is not good so he'll strikeout a lot, but you could also get solid production from him at the plate.

All the best young first basemen