2023 NL East Position Rankings: First Base Edition

The NL East was loaded with first-base talent during the 2022 MLB season. New faces emerged at the position for the Nationals and Braves, and even with the departure of Freddie Freeman, two players represented the NL East at first base in the all-star game. Taking last season’s stats into account, MMO has ranked the NL East first basemen heading into the 2023 season.

No. 5 – Garrett Cooper

Garrett Cooper at five seems unfair. He made his first all-star appearance in 2022 and recorded a respectable 113 OPS+ in 119 games. His advanced stats were above average as well, and in 2022, Cooper was in the 71st percentile of HardHit%, 73rd percentile of xSLG, and 75th percentile of Barrel%.

Unfortunately for Cooper, first base is a stacked position in the NL East. In 2022, he ranked last among NL East first basemen in slugging percentage, OPS, home runs, and average exit velocity. While Cooper does have a respectable OBP, he is in the 53rd percentile for BB%, which means he heavily relies on his BABIP to get on base.

Cooper is a solid bat to have in the lineup for any team. According to Baseball Reference, he’s projected to have a .338 OBP for the 2023 season and club 12 home runs in 407 at-bats. However, in terms of a first-base/DH bat, Cooper falls short due to his lack of power and reliance on singles to get on base.

No. 4 – Joey Meneses/Dominic Smith

Joey Meneses was one of the best stories in MLB last season. After spending 11 years between the MiLB and NPB, he finally got his shot in MLB after the Nationals traded away Juan Soto and Josh Bell to the Padres. In a short 56-game sample size, Meneses dominated MLB pitching, slashing .324/.367/.563/.930 and recording a 165 OPS+. Maneses’ advanced stats were no laughing matter either, as he posted a 91.4 average exit velocity and 9.9 Barrel%.

The Nationals also signed Dominic Smith this off-season after he was non-tendered by the Mets. Smith was horrific during the 2022 season and was regulated to Triple-A most of the season after posting a 62 OPS+ in 58 games. However, Smith is looking to reestablish himself in Washington after posting a 168 OPS+ and finishing 13th in the MVP race in 2020.

The tandem of Meneses and Smith is interesting heading into the 2023 season. Meneses posted MVP numbers in a short sample size in 2022 and Smith has proven in the past that he can be a valuable piece in MLB. However, there are a lot of questions for the two of them. Can Maneses replicate his dominant statistics over a 162-game season? Can Smith find his power stroke from 2020 that resulted in a .993 OPS? Both of these questions will be answered at the end of 2023, but for now, the duo finds themselves sitting at number four.

No. 3 – Rhys Hoskins

With every passing MLB season, Rhys Hoskins continues to be an underrated player. Maybe it’s due to all the other stars surrounding him, such as Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, and now, Trea Turner, but the guy rakes. In 2022, Hoskins clubbed 30 home runs, recorded a .332 OBP, and posted a 122 OPS+.

Most of Hoskins’s baseball savant page is red as well. He was in the 80th percentile in BB%, 78th percentile for Barrel% and 81st percentile for chase rate. The one hole in Hoskins’s bat is the inability to hit the breaking ball. In 2022, he batted .179 against breaking pitches and recorded an ugly .376 slugging percentage.

While Hoskins has hit throughout his career, his defense has been nothing short of ugly. Last season he committed 12 errors at first and recorded a horrific -9 OAA. Defense has always been an issue for Hoskins and the best defensive season he’s had was in 2019, where he recorded one OAA and committed nine errors.

No. 2 – Matt Olson

Losing Freeman was a big blow to the Braves organization as a whole, but when you replace him with Matt Olson, the wound heals a little quicker. Olson demonstrated his raw power in 2022 and clubbed 34 home runs while recording a .477 slugging percentage. His advanced statistics were impressive too, as Olson finished in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 93rd percentile in Barrel%. Besides hitting the ball hard, Olson also impressively knocked in 103 runs his first year in the NL, leading the Braves in RBI and recording a second consecutive season with 100+ RBI.

Olson wasn’t just impressive on offense. The former gold glover flashed the leather in 2022, recording 3 OAA and five defensive runs saved. For his performance on the field, Olson was nominated as a gold glove finalist for NL first basemen but lost to Christian Walker.

Ranking Olson number two was a tough decision. He excels on both sides of the ball and can decide the outcome of a game by himself. However, he had a mediocre second half where he slashed .219/.303/.462, and that stretch was enough to put him behind the top player on the list.

No. 1 – Pete Alonso

Pete Alonso ranked as number one may seem like a biased and obvious pick coming from MMO, but the truth is, only half of that is correct. The pick is obvious. Alonso had one of the greatest offensive seasons in the Mets’ history.

Starting with the basic stats, Alonso was fantastic. He slashed .271/.352/.518/.869, drove in 131 runs and clubbed 40 home runs. By doing so, Alonso set the Mets’ franchise record in RBI and became the only Met to have multiple 40+ home run seasons. Alonso also drove in 27 game-winning RBI in 2022, tying an unofficial record held by Willie Mays and Joe Torre. 

Alonso’s advanced metrics were also impressive. He was in the 86 percentile for Barrel%, 75th percentile in HardHit%, and was in the top two percent of the league for max exit velocity. While Alonso’s average exit velocity dropped to 89.8 mph in 2022, he still raked and finished with an outstanding 146 OPS+.

Like Hoskins, the only knock on Alonso is his defense. He was atrocious in 2022 and recorded a -8 OAA. Defensive play fluctuates every year and there is still hope for Alonso to improve. He did record a 3 OAA back in 2021.

For his performance on the field, Alonso was named a 2022 all-star and finished eighth overall in the NL MVP voting. If not for Paul Goldschmidt‘s ridiculous year, Alonso might have won his first Silver Slugger.

Overall, Alonso was everything the Mets could have asked him to be in 2022. He led the team in RBI, home runs, OPS, and OPS+. More impressively, Alonso was durable and played in 160 games. If the Mets are going to be successful in 2023, they are going to have to rely on the best first baseman in the NL East.

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